


Another Garden

by TheRandomlyAppearingWizard (Kasafeara)



Series: Another Garden [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: A bit of Smut mixed with a lot of plot, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Book 1: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Canonical Character Death, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Former teacher-former student relationship, Intended One Night Stand, Older Man/Younger Woman, Pregnancy, Violence (past/mentioned/near end story - current), Wand lore, rushed marriage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:33:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 89,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27441982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kasafeara/pseuds/TheRandomlyAppearingWizard
Summary: As aspiring wand maker Lea Dumbledore meets with her former head of house on the way to her home in Hogsmeade after visiting family and she ends up having a passionate evening with the ill mannered professor with lasting consequences.All while Severus Snape is having to deal with a year of trouble from the newest school’s arrival Harry Potter and dealing with issues from his past now aware of his new family as well as the rumors involving the mother of his unborn child.
Relationships: Severus Snape/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Another Garden [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2095506
Comments: 18
Kudos: 48





	1. Mistakes and consequences

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again, for those who have read my other work. Another garden is an AU of Lost in the garden. I felt that a rewrite wouldn’t do and a lot could be improved on, so here we are. I hope this story is more enjoyable and I’ll be glad for any feedback. 
> 
> This is hopefully be part 1 of this work based in book one and will work differently than last time but with some elements being the same. The focus will be for me to not go too far off the tracks and have the story jump around too much.
> 
> Anything you recognise is inspired/not mine 
> 
> Reminder : I don’t follow nor believe in J.K.Rowling's problematic views

**4th August 1991**

Her body was flushed and aching for attention as she dreamed up flashes of intimacy while tossing in the sheets. She almost stirred awake at how large they were and under the almost realisation they were not her own as she felt her cunt wet and throbbing from need. It almost felt painful and that’s when she felt her forehead start to complain, she adjusted the sheets and there was groan from the bed. The bed was old...but it almost sounded human or like the dead waking from slumber only to chow down on human flesh from the movies muggles would watch.

She rolled over to hide her head in the pillows and stopped when her head met flesh. It was rough and bristly, she heard the same moan again but louder as she felt the slim but warm body she had rolled on to vibrate from the noise. The chest rose and descended at a steady pace bringing the chest closer to her face with each breath, giving her a face full of a musky smell, it smelt like they had sweated enough for a marathon. That was not all she smelt, it was smoky somehow like from a fireplace or cauldron and then there was the stench of alcohol that was now being breathed down her neck.

She almost shivered as she felt their free member brush against her as it began to swell and rise for action. It wasn’t huge but definitely noticeable and her primal urges were intune to that. 

They either awake or their body was reacting to her presence...hers certainly was.

Curiosity won out as she quickly looked up. His tired obsidian eyes were a pool of regret, anger, fear and agony. He was worried about the consequences of the night before, but his eyes had been locked onto her breasts a few moments ago. 

“Morning” she said in a tired voice and smiled up at him. She wanted him to know she wasn’t regretful and would go for him again.

She brushed herself against his downstairs. He groaned and she felt his hands come to both sides of her rump to keep her there to roll his hips into hers. She then moved her head to his nipples and trailed her tongue around the left before popping it into her mouth, his chest stilled at her interaction but his friend in his downstairs department did the talking.

He moved his left hand to her head to stop her and she released him and the suction on his nipple with a pop, to look up at him with sultry eyes. She smiled up at him mischievously and he looked down at her in concern, his greasy locks were in his face and almost obscuring his vision of her.

His hand was in mid-air next to her face almost questioning if he could touch her.

She answered for him and planted her lips on his as the gears in his mind began to click into place. She moved her lips with his, trying to devour him as her hand slipped down near his stomach edging closer to her target.

He flipped them over and she yelped in surprise but she could barely react with his lips back on hers as he moved his right hand to her slit, she quivered only to jolt away in pain. His head snapped up, his eyes fearful. 

“I’m just sore. I still want…” she began to reassure him but he adjusted her position, moving her legs to become more open to him. She heard a clunk and a small vial appeared in his hand, it’s purple but milky substance moving about with it as he shoved it into her hands.

Pain potion. She uncorked it and downed it in an instant. 

She then noticed an open tub to the side of her left leg and the white sticky substance slicking his right hand, she flinched at the cold as he began to massage the white goo into her sore opening. 

She felt a tingling sensation down below along with the slight headache that had been seeping into her skull vanish. She quivered as he worked her down below, now covering his hand in the gunk again and now easing his fingers inside but he stopped, causing her to sigh in disappointment. It had just started to get good for her, her cunt could attest to that.

He looked at her straight in the eyes as he vanished the mess of medical product and her pleasure covering his fingers. “The bathroom is to the left of my bedroom, I’ll have your potion ready for you afterwards” he answered coldly, his eyes now as calculating as she had remembered from all the years before as his student.

He got up and left the room, leaving her contemplating what they had just done. He had wanted to fuck her again a moment ago and was working his long and skilled fingers inside her soon after that. 

She exhaled deeply and got off the queen sized bed, no longer being warmed by the soft green sheets she walked across the grey carpet and took one final look around the room. 

The black ebony furniture decorated the room from the chest of drawers next to left of the door, a medicine cabinet revealing all manner of vials and boxes behind it’s closed doors along with it. 

On the left side wall was the wardrobe and bookcase with books so worn that she believed they would fall apart any moment. 

The right had a worktable with papers littered across it, with formulas she could just work out. 

Then the bedside tables either side the bed with old lamps on either side. 

She grumbled as she left the room to bathe and get ready. His quarters were quite interesting as she had to enter the living room to go anywhere. He was gone of course and she took note of the back of the painting attached to the left side wall she assumed was used to hide and exit the place. 

Near the back of the painting and to the right of it was a similar cabinet to the medicine cabinet in his bedroom with glass tumblers and whiskey bottles behind it’s doors. 

The living room was lit by a few old lamps just like in the bedroom with the same grey painted walls.

There was a huge black coach and oak coffee table to her left facing towards the wall next to her and a huge black marble fireplace. A silver antique clock was on the mantle and above it a huge black empty painting. The black metal fireguard was in front of the non active fireplace.

In front of her were the huge windows showing the calm lake water against the glass guarded by two large green curtains on either side with several more black bookcases pressed against that wall. 

One of the rooms she was unsure of was right of her and facing the windows, the other room was next to the bathroom door, she decided it was unwise to continue looking and entered the bathroom.

The bathroom was large, covered in white and green tiling with a white porcelain toilet, sink and bath. 

The bath if you could call it that by it’s huge size and huge silver taps hanging over it. The sink near the door had a white oak cabinet above it with a mirror with silver serpents encircling it to the side of it, on the wall. 

She began filling the bath full of warm water and watermelon scented bubbles. The tap was underused by the look of it, but worked all the same. She managed to find a tap willingly to give her the same scented shampoo.

She sighed as the bubbles engulfed her, she still was on edge from their previous actions but she would wait to deal with that mess on her own in her own room. Once she was satisfied she didn’t smell any longer of the night before, she got out, borrowed a still wrapped toothbrush and went back into the bedroom to get her clothes.

Her platinum blonde hair was a mess and took some time to tame with the brush in her black shoulder bag, she wondered how pissed the man would be when she informed him she had borrowed a toothbrush. Her blue eyes almost watered at a very nasty knot that took some time to entangle but she managed to put her hair into a long ponytail. She noticed she had some spare blue robes and boots shrunk in her bag with a note.

**Just in case, remember to owl tomorrow.**

**Mum**

Hidden along with them was a vial of grey and purple swirling liquid. She sighed, grabbed her things and quickly put on her spare robes and boots before exiting the room with vial in hand. 

She noticed he was dressed in his normal black robes and on the coach.

She walked up to him and began speaking. “I had to borrow one of your toothbrushes and found a potion in my bag…” 

“You had a potion? Do you do this often?” Snape asked, looking up at her expectantly.

“No! I don’t…” Lea began, she could feel the red rising to her cheeks. 

His brow furrowed and he leaned back from the table. “I wasn’t judging you or would for doing so. I think we are past that stage, don’t you?” he answered, raising a brow at her and indicating for her to sit next him. “No. I was asking to find out what potion you would be needing and to find out if you have the right one.”

He looked at the vial in her hand and took it, uncorking it. He sniffed it and moved the vial around to check the consistency of the liquid. 

“Well made and this answers my question. You're not taking regular birth control” he said as corked the vial, handing it back to her. She meekly nodded. “You didn’t make that.”

He said it as a statement and it was true. “My mum did, she put it in my bag yesterday morning” Lea answered and Snape nodded to himself.

“A wise woman. She’s not a potions master is she?” Snape continued, indicating her to drink her mother’s potion. It tasted absolutely foul and she just managed to swallow it down. 

“Yes and she is not. She works with my dad at the department of magical law enforcement” Lea replied and he hummed at the response as he pulled two vials from his robes. 

One was exactly like her mother’s and the other was blue with purple swirls. 

“After morning potion and a weekly birth control potion, I may not of known when your next dosage was if that was the case, but it’s common courtesy for a potions master to make sure you are not lacking your next dosage” Snape explained, before putting the vials onto the table. 

Lea shifted uncomfortably. “So last night…” she began but he shook his head.

“It can never happen again, I have a reputation to uphold. Getting with one of my former students not long after graduation is looked down upon and would cause all kinds of questions to be made” Snape interrupted her and held her gaze.

“You're worried about your job and my great uncle doesn’t help with that” she sighed as she fiddled with her thumbs. 

“No, it doesn’t. I will not lie, I did find last night extremely enjoyable and if the circumstances were different I would consider doing so again” Snape continued, his eyes flickered over her body momentarily. “But I have to admit it was highly irresponsible of me as your former teacher and your head of house.”

She got up, it was better she left now before any of the remaining teachers saw her.

“Before you go, I want you to give me your word if any consequences occur from last night you inform me at once and send word to meet me. Don’t meet me at school unless asked to” he said, getting up to move the metal grate to the side and then grabbing the grey bowl full of floo powder that was hidden behind the clock. 

“I give you my word” Lea said, his shoulders seemed to relax on this.

“Good. You will have to floo out. The headmaster is more lenient after the school year is over” said Snape, letting her take a handful of floo powder and walk into the fireplace. 

She called out a location and his quarters disappeared in the emerald flames to have herself dust herself off in Diagon Alley’s floo entrance. She moved quickly so as to not be toppled off by the next visitor in her fireplace as the other five flared back to life, allowing more to enter the Alley. She made her way down the street, her mother would be having lunch and if she could catch her…

She felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned to see the woman in question with almost white blonde hair braided into a bun in her black ministry work robes with a black handbag. She smiled and pulled Lea close into a hug before leading her into a nearby café. 

Mary Sweet’s café was small but her mother loved the place for their apricot jam tarts and sandwiches. She usually took orders to go and sometimes placed orders in advance, but today she had already ordered her an all breakfast sandwich how Lea liked it for the both of them.

The meat and eggs made her stomach sing as her mother watched her with shining emerald eyes into her blue sapphires ones before gorging on her sandwich. It was a sight to behold and Lea understood why they had chosen such a small setting not that she was any better. 

_Thank Merlin for magic. Otherwise they both would look a right mess._

“I have some news for you, sweetpea” her mother announced cheerfully, _hopefully her father was finally getting a promotion,_ Lea hoped. “Ollivander has written back and suggested you come into the store to show off your own work.”

A deep and unwavering smile spread across Lea’s lips and her mother looked knowingly at her.

“I brought a few of your favourite pieces and I have the rest of the day off. Want to visit him when he opens up after lunch?” she asked and Lea nodded excitedly. “I also have another surprise.”

Her mother indicated to the two plates of strawberry cake being exchanged for their empty sandwich plates. Her eyes lit up to her mother’s amusement.

“Thank you Mary” her mother told the middle aged brown haired witch in a white apron, she nodded and went to clean their dishes. “Now eat up, we have the rest of the day awaiting us.”

To say she wasn’t nervous would not be strictly true, she had written to a few wand makers to study under but two stood above them all, Gregorovitch and Ollivander. It was a profession often passed down through families and the Alders her grandmother’s family through her mother’s side had Druidic blood.

Druids were Britain's first wand makers and were known as healers, seers, and teachers among other things. Her grandmother Irene would talk of grand tales of the occasional wandmaker and seer in their family bloodline. Irene’s grandfather had even crafted her own wand, silver lime and unicorn hair, 12 inches, yielding. 

Silver lime was the wand wood that favoured seers and those skilled with Legilimency, it made a handsome wand. It was covered with carved swirls and flower patterns on it’s handle. 

Unicorn hair was known for its loyalty and its inherent dislike for dark magic. 

They had finished dessert faster than Lea liked, as her stomach twisted. The letters she had received from the other wand makers were ranging from just a simple rejection to down right rude. Calling who she was into question and refusing to acknowledge her. 

She had actually received word and a meeting with Gregorovitch, he actually seemed highly interested by his letter but he took one look at her work and called it uninspired and to return when she had developed her own style. He did however gruffly point her to some books and gave her a few pointers. 

That had been a few days after leaving Hogwarts and she had improved a lot in that small amount of time but still did not have what Gregorovitch wanted. She had gone to him, since Ollivander had not responded yet and he didn’t work with Schlangenholz or otherwise known as snakewood. There were a lot of woods and wand cores Ollivander did not work with as he preferred to work with three ‘supreme cores’ and was very strict on his process of wand making.

Unicorn hair, Dragon heartstring and phoenix feather were the cores he worked with. 

Lea wanted to try them all, coral, the horn from a horned serpent, thunderbird tail feather and everything else she could get her hands on.

They left and thanked Mary before making their way to Ollivander’s wand shop. It only took a few moments and Lea’s hands were already sweating in fear of what lay on the other side of the door. 

A quick kiss on the forehead from her mother and they were entering the shop, the doorbell going off as soon as they opened the door, almost scaring her. 

“A bit jumpy today I see” a voice called from a ladder to the right of them, they turned to see Garrick Ollivander smiling down at them with a box in hand by his shelves of boxed wands. He walked down the ladder to greet them, shaking both of their hands. “I can remember you both as if it was yesterday. Ebony, 12 inches, unyielding. Dragon heartstring.”

He looked to her mother then turned to her. 

“Willow, 12 inches slightly yielding. Unicorn hair” Garrick smiled towards her, Lea relaxed a little. “So what have you brought me?”

Her mother opened her bag and brought out three brown rectangular boxes, Ollivander put the box he had down on the counter and went behind it while indicating they put the boxes down.

He opened the first one and examined it. “Cherry, 13 inches almost yielding. Unicorn hair. Well made” he put down the brown wand which twisted at the bottom as it became a darker brown. 

He opened another and his face seemed skeptical but not upset with the other wand. It was a dark brown wood with a simple cylindrical handle and knob at the end. 11 and a half inches, yielding. Dragon heart string.

“Decent and usable but I wouldn’t sell it” he mused and opened the last box. He blinked for a moment before closing the box almost immediately. “Not usable at all.”

It was her attempt using snakewood and unicorn hair. He paused and looked fondly at the cherry wand before putting away the Ivy wand.

“I am curious where you got the unicorn hair from, both were from the same unicorn” Garrick asked her softly as put the cherry wand back in it’s box but not closing it.

“Hogwarts, she is a mare that Hagrid helped me befriend. She’s called Ella, I visited her alot when I studied there” Lea explained and Garrick smiled back at her.

“With a notched left ear?” Garrick asked inquisitively and Lea paused before nodding. His smile widened. “That mare was likely the one I plucked the tail hairs from for your wand. It is quite interesting that you both were to meet. She didn’t take to fondly to me plucking them, I can tell you that.”

Lea chuckled “that I’m sure, I just bribe her and she lets me brush her.”

“Something that most wizards have difficulty doing, I’m sure. I’m almost jealous of the fact most witches can just go up to a unicorn without issue” Garrick said, before nodding. “I would love for you to tell me how you made how you made this one.”

He moved his head towards the cherry wand.

“That and I would like to run a few tests on it before maybe selling it for you, under your name of course” he continued, her eyes lit up but her happiness was almost short lived. “But I can’t train you, I’m doing so for my own family at the moment and what you need is just a push and few pointers as well as where to look.”

She nodded, it was better than she thought even if she wasn’t training under him.

“I suggest you spend the day here and we discuss a few things, then set an arrangement up where you bring the occasional wand for assessment. If they’re good enough I can sell them for you and we can share notes across owl. How does that sound?” Garrick informed her and she smiled. 

“That would be perfect Mr Ollivander” Lea answered. 

* * *

Lea was ecstatic with just an afternoon working with Ollivander, he had shown her a few tips and given her a few books to look through. With what Gregorovitch showed her as well, she was well on her way to learning to be a professional wand maker. Though with no apprenticeship under them meant she would be making money based on the wands she made which meant she would be reliant on family for a bit. 

Or so she thought. She worked out the basics of what happened with her cherry wand with Ollivander, she had tended to Ella and treated her well and she was permitted her tail hair. As Garrick put it magic was about intent and she was given the core willingly, which made the wand itself stronger. 

She had mixed it with head hairs and even painted the core with a bonding agent of her own creation before insertion to great effect. This actually surprised Ollivander and he said the wood seemed to bond better with the core with these additions. She had phased the core inside the wood while speaking the old tongue rather than adding a topper or using magic to seal the wand around the core. 

She explained how she was trying to feel out the wood and wand core’s to try and gauge what they wanted. It was like how a snake heard by vibration but far more complex and she was trying to learn what each interaction meant.

To say Garrick was fascinated was an understatement and they had been owling each other back forth about her notes. She had only made one more wand and he had accepted it happily but the 10 inch Holly wand with good flexibility with a dragon heartstring core wasn’t going to pay bills anytime soon. Even if she loved the spirals she had carved into the cylindrical handle and the spiked knob at the end.

It made her consider the letter she had received days ago even more, _it couldn’t hurt to ask a few questions before deciding, could it?_

* * *

It hadn’t been that long since she studied in these halls and quite frankly she missed Hogwarts, it’s noise, the food and her friends. It honestly felt too long as she trailed after Albus. 

How he managed all these years standing out like a sore thumb, she would never know. He had chosen that day a yellow set of robes with flowers embroidered over the sleeves and yellow boots. 

“I’m glad you answered, dear. I was getting a little worried from your mother’s last letter” he began as they made their way up to the castle, he still managed to out pace her at this age. It was him that had to slow down for her as they neared the castle entrance. 

“I’m surprised dad didn’t write to you first” Lea replied and Albus chuckled as got inside the castle. He stopped to look her over for a moment through his half moon spectacles. 

“I’m surprised you did not come and talk to me two weeks ago, If I recall correctly ” he stated and Lea’s cheeks turned almost beetroot red. “Oh, I know, my dear. I know almost everything that happens in this castle. In fact I told your mother you were here but not who you were with.”

Albus smiled at her knowingly and her blood ran cold.

She had remembered that night, she had spent the afternoon at her grandpa Abe’s before deciding to head home but had bumped into Snape on the way who albeit annoyed at being caught on his way to have a drink at the three broomsticks at first, he had been interested in her wand work. _In more ways than one._

“It was quite the afternoon for him, he was doing so well until I asked him why you had to use his fireplace to flu out rather than come up and see me” Albus mused, stroking his long beard. “Yes, he ended up admitting to your encounter. He’s hiding in the dungeons if you want to see him. In fact he was the one I had in mind when I wrote to you about the job. Pomona and Kettleburn have already got assistants for this year you see..”

“Classroom or…” Lea began to ask only for Albus to cut her off.

“Classroom and behind a cauldron like always, let me know what you end up deciding” he told her and she nodded before taking off in a sprint down to the dungeons. 

It wasn’t until she got closer to the potions classroom that her stomach twisted and she grew concerned about what would happen next _, he told her not to visit unless..._

Her hand rested on her stomach, but she shook her head. It was unlikely. Her mother brewed that potion and Snape’s would have been just as strong. She continued on her way to the classroom when she heard talking, her heart beating faster as she wondered if he found another so soon. 

She reached the door and found it open, he was prepping ingredients for storage on the furthest workbench as a wizard with white blond hair in an overpriced set of black robes and boots stood next to him with a face she recognised. Her heart dropped as she saw the witch with the same fair hair as the wizard in an expensive violet dress and similarly expensive heels with cold eyes. 

The witch chuckled as she saw Lea, catching Snape’s attention towards the door. 

“As I said Lucius I’ve already been informed Albus found someone and in far more practical attire” Snape stated to the witch's distaste as he indicated to Lea’s plain blue work robes and work boots. “Now her timing however, leaves a lot to be desired. If she had arrived before breakfast she could have assisted me in the forbidden forest this morning, collecting ingredients.”

“Even more reason…” Sarissa piped up again, unwilling to accept the indignity of being pushed aside for what she assumed another job candidate or what Sarissa was pretending to be. 

“No my standards are clear Miss Malfoy as has Narcissia has informed you time and time again, I only accept candidates with a high score in a N.E.W.T in Potions. You failed to even get into my advanced class” Snape reminded her as he indicated for Lea to join him at his workbench at the far end of the classroom. “Besides you always make a fuss when you even get a spec of dirt on your clothes, an attitude more suited for the high elite but not in my line work.”

“Wasn’t she meant to become a filthy wand maker?” Sarissa spat only for the wizard she could assume was Lucius to narrow his eyes at the witch beside him and surprisingly not at Lea.

Lea had enough and began to explain to Sarissa’s annoyance “Filthy wand maker? Aren’t you forgetting Salazar Slytherin’s masterpiece? The wand he crafted out of snakewood and basilisk horn, it…” 

“Are you done? That wasn’t an answer?” Sarissa interrupted, sneering at Lea.

“Miss Dumbledore has already had two wands accepted by Ollivander, he is taking a more distant approach with her since he is training family and she already knows the craft exceptionally well. She just needs to develop her method and style along with her reputation to continue her craft full time” Snape explained, Lucius raised a disapproving brow at her name but seemed to be actually listening to him unlike his relation who was investigating the classroom now bored of the conversation now it didn’t concern her.

“So she can’t afford to. How…” Sarissa began again only for Lucius to place a hand on her shoulder and move her to the side to her surprise to get a better look at Lea. 

“Her features, aside from the eyes, are from whom?” he questioned Snape, who gave Lea a unicorn horn to ground which she did so without question as she avoided looking at Mr Malfoy. 

“Alder, one of the remaining members of the bloodline” Snape explained and Lucius’s tongue clicked in recognition of the name. 

“Not Erica Alder’s branch for sure, they were wiped out quite a while ago. Irene’s?” Lucius pressed and Snape nodded as Lea shifted uncomfortably. “That is interesting, they are of very old blood. Druidic. Occasional seers and wand makers, I hear Irene was a seer?”

“Irene is and her daughter, Miss Dumbledore is not” Snape answered quickly, seemingly wanting the end of the conversation as much as Lea did. “You read Irene’s book, have you not?”

“It was fun for sure but universally panned by the seer community and your local seer” Lucius said lazily and Snape narrowed his eyes at the mention of Trelawney. “Yes, I know a great example but you get my point. They are an odd bunch aren't they?”

“Lucius, watch that cousin of yours, she melted enough cauldrons in her first year alone. I will be needing those soon enough” Snape warned, tilting his head to Sarissa who was now looking and grimacing at some of the jars he had out. Particularly the beatles, she actually had to agree with Sarissa on that at least. That Snape's collection of ingredients unnerved her too.

“Sarissa, don’t touch, you're almost as bad as Draco,” Lucius called out and she jolted upright before moving slowly away from the workbench full of ingredients. She actually had the decency to blush and then look to the floor in embarrassment. 

Lea handed Snape the ground unicorn horn to examine and he took one look at it, before handing it back to her to pack away for use later. 

“Speaking of Draco, he will be here soon enough” Lucius began but Snape seemed to understand immediately.

“I’ll watch out for him, you have my word” Snape replied and Lucius smiled back at him.

“She’s quiet when she’s not talking about her ‘hobby’, pretty too...It’s rare for you to take cases like hers. You usually demand someone with a desire for a mastery in potions with the grades to match” Lucius questioned him, nodding towards her and Snape sneered in response. “Oh, Albus insisted on this one. I get it and I fully accept my cousin would be too much work for you…”

“I like her experiments with bonding agents being used in wand creation and found her theory of interest of me” Snape countered and Lucius let out a small chilling laugh. Lea felt her hair stand on end as she heard it.

“I’m not criticising, she’s not a student anymore so she’s fair game and a Slytherin too” Lucius continued and Snape exhaled deeply at the comment as he stopped labelling the ingredient containers. “You might be able to save this one, before her relation puts ill advised notions into that head of hers.”

Lucius then sighed in disappointment at the glare that Snape was giving him now before smiling and pushing Sarissa towards the door. She almost thought Sarissa was silently begging to stay for a moment but _that would be silly._

“I’ll talk to you later, old friend. I can now tell my ‘delightful’ cousin I can’t perform miracles” Lucius called out from over his shoulder as he left with Sarissa in tow. 

Snape waved his hand at the door, slamming and locking it so they wouldn’t be disturbed. 

“His second cousin wanted his daughter to work for me or as Lucius put it make Sarissa my permanent problem” he explained, taking another tub and scribbling the date onto the label. She could hear the frustration in his voice as his eyes narrowed at her attempts to make dandelion juice. “Have you used a health potion yet?”

Health potions were used to detect abnormalities in the blood to inform them of the health of a person based on it’s coloured reaction. Not to be mistaken with healing potions like a wiggenweld potion.

“I was going to do that tomorrow, I’m due to start today” Lea answered and he riffled through his robes to show her a clear vial. He vanished off the mess of their hands before putting the vial down to use his wand to extract blood from the index finger on her left hand, to place a few drops into the vial before recorking it. He shook it and put the vial down.

“Five minutes. You know the colour we’re looking for, correct?” he asked and she nodded. “Good. Now help me finish up and then we can have lunch.”

Lea almost cursed herself for asking but she had to be sure “What will happen to Sarissa? Now that she’s not your problem?” 

“She will likely be pawned off to someone who can deal with her attitude” Severus answered nonchalantly, he didn’t seem fazed by this...no that wasn’t it, _numb to it_. “It’s not that uncommon for pure blood families to do so with problem children...well any children.”

True, it was common, but doesn’t mean it was fair. Lea was silent as the gears in her head turned, maybe she could ask Albus to offer her way out. _If she refuses then it will be her choice._

Snape hadn’t spoken for a while as he continued labelling ingredients as she prepared them, it was as if he was avoiding the very concept of that night.

“You suggested I work for you, didn’t you?” Lea asked, hating the silence as they kept themselves busy until they knew she wasn't with child. _She couldn’t be anyway._ Snape looked up at her, his lips twitching response.

“Maybe I did, would that be so bad? After all your line of work requires a lot of investment and I could get my own answer to our current conundrum” he told her, before looking down at her body. “Maybe I could have resolved a recent matter with your interference, all in the same day.”

“It’s almost as if you're enjoying this” she replied but the sarcasm was not lost on him as he stood watching her with a smirk spreading across his lips. 

“Not as much as I want to be...after all circumstances have changed haven’t they?” he continued, pausing and putting emphasis on the last sentence. “Five minutes.”

He called out and she went back to working but she stopped. He hadn’t moved, it was as if he had become frozen from the colour draining from his swallow skin.

That was when she saw it.

The vial’s contents had turned pink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edited the chapter's presentation to make it easier to read
> 
> edit 2. had a problem with notes, this should fix it.


	2. A decision to be made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That morning started with a scream and that evening ended with one.

She wanted to scream, run away, anything. But she stood there frozen in time as he was, unable to process what she was seeing. She was pregnant,  _ with his child. _

He wasn’t taking to the shock of her pregnancy well either, his eyes were wide and his skin paler than his swallow skin should allow. Then he ran across the room and through the door to the side of the classroom and slammed the door so hard behind him she felt the noise vibrate around the room.

Then she heard a yell of pure anguish from the top of his lungs that made her question whether she should run to check on his well-being but then came the screams of anger and the sound of smashing from inside his office.

Then she did only thing she could think in her panicked induced state and ran to the classroom door to try and open it. It rattled as she tried to leave the room.  _ She forgot it was locked. _

_ She needed to get out. Out. Out. Out. _

She drew her wand and it luckily unlocked to her fortune. She ran and ran but she didn’t know where until she ran into something or someone.

She looked up shakily, her face pale and fixed in horror. She clung on to the yellow robes and started sobbing. She felt arms wrap around her and an old hand brush her head to soothe her. 

“Did he hurt you?” a calm voice asked her, she tried to make out the words. But how could she say them?

“...no...I..he..I’m…” she croaked, the words could barely make it out of her throat as they kept getting stuck there. 

She heard rushed footsteps. 

She felt the air around crackle and heat up around her as the footsteps stopped just short of them. 

“Lea...I...I’m sorry...please…” the figure behind them managed to make out but they were having as much of a hard time speaking as she was. She turned to see Snape, covered in a mess of potions and cuts. “I didn’t mean...to scare...please.”

“Severus! What the hell have you done!” a stern female voice yelled out next to her, she realised that McGonagall and Albus had been on their way to his office when she ran into them.

She tried to move out of Albus’s arms but she almost fell to the floor if Albus hadn’t caught her.

“I was scared...Minerva...I didn’t...hurt her...I was in my office” Snape began again, he was still struggling but he was more coherent now. “Lea...I’m scared too...please…”

Lea tried to move again but Albus kept a firm hold of her, then she saw the inferno in his eyes and stilled.

She took a deep breath and tried her hardest to speak “I’m...scared too...you scared me.”

“I know...I know. I’m sorry” he answered, his eyes were sore and wide in terror. “The baby scared me too.”

Albus let her go in shock and she tried to go to Snape but he got to her first. He pulled her close and she could feel him shaking as he wrapped his arms along with his cape around her to support her. 

“Baby?” McGonagall repeated in horror, Lea looked back to see both teachers almost as pale as the ghosts that roamed the school.

“It was after Minvera” Snape informed her but she shook her head in anger as she marched closer as fury became etched into every line of her face. Albus was looking towards Lea as if he was questioning the very existence of everything. “I will do what is right, if you let me Lea.”

She looked up at him. “I think you need to make such promises when you're not shaking like a leaf and look like a whole year's worth of second year’s potions haven’t exploded over you. Don’t you?” she replied and he exhaled. 

“Doesn’t make it any less true” he said under his breath, he pulled her closer and she could feel his heart beat along with hers as they started to calm down. “Also if it was the second year’s potions on me, we would be worrying about more than a bit of mess and cuts.”

“Your pregnant, sweetpea?” Albus managed ask in a shaky voice, she had never seen him like this in her entire life. She nodded and he swallowed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before exhaling. “How will you do what is right, Severus?”

His eyes turned fierce again as he stared Snape down as he asked those words in a deep tone he only reserved for those he thought the utter worst of. 

“I’ll marry her, I’ll help care for our baby if she wants it. I will treat her right and protect her” Snape answered, his voice was firm and determined as he looked back at Albus while still holding her. 

“Will you?” Albus pressed.

“Yes” Snape confirmed, but Albus wasn’t impressed at his response.

“My office, Lea with me first” Albus ordered and Snape let go of her for Albus to guide her to the staircase with his right hand on her shoulder for support. He did not need a password, the staircase moved for the headmaster without hesitation as they passed the gargoyle. 

They entered the circular room, passing the tables with silver instruments whirring and puffing smoke. The bookcases and piles of books to his large desk. He summoned a chair for her next to his throne like chair behind the claw footed desk and the golden bird perch. 

He helped her sit down and there was a flutter of wings as Fawkes swooped onto his perch to block Snape’s access to Lea. The crimson bird, sang a musical note at her and watched her intently until she started stroking his head with her left hand. 

“Minerva relay her situation, excluding their reaction to the news to Aurora” Albus instructed and the duty headmistress gave Lea a quick concerned look while Albus put a reassuring hand on his great niece’s shoulder.

McGonagall made sure to shot Snape a disapproving look before leaving through the door, Albus did not summon a chair for him and seemed to want him to stand in front of them and all the portraits of headmasters, chessmasters and the founders that had come before them as well as the hat on top of one of the shelves of a nearby bookcase. 

“And what would you stake on this promise you gave me?” Albus continued, his eyes locked on Snape’s but he did not falter. 

“My life” Snape answered without hesitation, Albus scoffed and Lea’s face fell in shock. 

“I have your life, what about your freedom?” Albus told him and Lea looked back at him as if he had gone mad.

“You can have it,” Snape answered and Albus raised a brow at this, but seemed to accept that answer.

“Remember you failed today and that if you ever harm my great niece...I will put you in Azkaban myself” Albus answered in an authoritative voice only to pause to put emphasis on the last part before he turned his face to Lea and smiled towards her. He waved his hand at the desk and a plate of sandwiches, fruit and a glass of water appeared in front of her. 

“Yes, Albus...Lea I am sorry I scared you. I don’t expect you to trust me after that and I will do whatever it takes to earn what small respect you had for me back” Snape answered, but then paused to face Lea. “I never have any intention of showing that behaviour in front of you and our child...I just needed to lock myself away and...process my mistake.”

“Our accident, not yours” Lea corrected him and he blinked in surprise before nodding in acceptance of what she was saying. “I was scared too, I also freaked out but decided to run instead.”

With those words, Albus summoned a chair for Snape to sit front of them. Having the knowledge that Snape hadn’t intentionally scared her but was still not impressed at him wrecking his own office. 

“You know what I will say next, Severus, but I will make myself clear for you to display later, Lea and any child she has, will not leave this castle to visit those friends of yours without both mine and her consent. Especially if it involves certain company” Albus stressed and Snape continued to listen to the headmaster closely. “My protection over you will end the moment you even consider such a stunt.”

Lea resigned herself to eating the food in front of her as the headmaster continued. 

“If I fall, you will not be able to find her until the war ends. I will not give him an opportunity to end the Alder bloodline to cover up his own mistake, you know well what happened to the Alder’s outside Irene’s branch?” 

Snape nodded and Lea felt a chill down her spine.

“He massacred them, burned the family home and stole the remaining family secrets he couldn’t get from Irene the first time. If they hadn’t been so cruel to abandon Irene for carrying a child out of wedlock, the Alder bloodline would either be eradicated or worse in his control”

The uncomfortable silence hanged in the air, drifting across the room as Lea felt her hairs stand on end.

“He knows Irene and her daughter survived from Erica’s admittance of her cruelty towards her niece before he killed her. He will likely request access to Lea and the babe she carries”

“I can use what you’ve given me, to show it’s an impossibility and you will likely withdraw my access to her if he presses the issue. He’ll have to settle for the crumbs and photos I give him. You have my word that I will do everything in my power to ensure they never meet” Snape informed him and Albus nodded, satisfied with the answer.

“Now go clean yourself up, I need to discuss what my niece wants and will continue this discussion later” Albus instructed and Snape gave her one last look before leaving the office.

As soon he was down the stairs, Albus spoke again. “That was the first time I’ve seen him physically comfort someone, he’s not much for pretty words but he cares...”

“It’s not my job to fix him or be your pawn uncle” Lea cut in before he could continue and start to twist the situation. “I’ve known him as his student, I know from first hand that he’s not a people person.”

“Ah, but you won’t be fixing him nor would abide such an unhealthy notion. No he has to want to change for it to mean anything, all change requires effort does it not?” he told her, beginning to stroke his beard as he smiled softly at her. “Nor would I use someone so dear to me as a pawn. No, I will be blunt. I intend for you to use his name to keep you safe and possibly save his life in turn when ‘he’ returns. Your life is worth far more than his to the Dark Lord I’m afraid, whether it is by ending it to cover up his mistake or the value of your blood. A seer later down the line could give him the edge he needs to survive.”

“I want to keep this child but I want them and myself to be loved…” Lea told him, fiddling with her thumbs uncomfortably. 

He raised a hand and interrupted her “That takes time and I know for a fact he’s not uncaring to you, as for love that may take years. It may never happen, the man has a past that brought him to me and a past he must pay for. Out of respect for him I will not say anymore but know this I trusted him with our darkest secret because he was in the best position to keep you safe.” 

“You did what?” Lea replied in a half growl, her eyes flashing momentarily in anger. “Mother and grandmother…”

“Agreed in doing so. Your father however was against it every step of the way” he cut in and Lea’s eyes went wide as a snarl spread across her face.

“He was a Death Eater! You told a former Death Eater! He’s still friends with that slimy Lucius Malfoy! He was encouraging him to go for me, calling my work a hobby!” Lea voice raised along with her, her eyes almost showing a hint of red. There was a small flicker of anger at Lucius’s comment in Albus’s eyes but was quelled immediately, it was as if the human part of him that could display anger could be switched off like a machine. “That slimy git was with his younger cousin, who is going to be pawned off…”

He cut her off mid rant “we have no business getting involved…”

“Piss on that! You emotionless git! She’s a human too, I don’t care if she’s a spoilt brat. Everyone needs the means to make their own path” Lea snarled down at him, he seemed a little hurt at being called emotionless but remained sat as she panted as she worked through her anger.

“Lea, you need to learn to quell that anger of yours that you inherited…”

“From whom?” she asked in a dangerous low voice.

“From us, all Dumbledores have been a bit fiery by nature. Me even more so, it took me a very long time to learn to quell mine when needed” he told her and she reluctantly nodded before sitting down. “If it was your grandfather’s then we would have another problem and I would be needing a new nose.”

He chuckled and she sighed, the joke itself brought the heat that had been building in the room down. 

“And I was going to say before you interrupted, that I can have Minvera do it. Just I can’t be involved else it won’t even be considered, you know that” he continued and she sank into her chair, embarrassed by her behaviour. “I know, I know. My dear, you're angry and scared. Let’s just leave this argument here and move forward shall we?”

She moved her head slowly up and down in confirmation. He smiled down at her.

“It’s your decision dear. I will never allow you to marry someone that could hurt you and the baby, you know that” Albus told her and she sat up to face him better. “You don’t even have to share quarters, just the name. You could even spend all your time crafting or with me until the little one arrives. If you want to work still then we can be flexible. The whole point of the offer was to keep you here, in sight and safe.”

“He’s going to return isn’t he? You’ve not been saying that to…” she asked, almost hoping it was all speculation.

“He will and he will go after the remaining members of the Alder bloodline” he told her and her heart sank. She remained silent as the gears in her head turned. 

“Wouldn’t a ceremony bring unwanted attention? He was my teacher not too long ago” Lea said finally and Albus stroked his beard in thought.

“A word of wisdom acting in a way to avoid suspicion or gaining attention does the opposite and gives reason to do so” Albus told her and she had to agree with that. “Besides everyone needs a day to feel special despite the circumstances.”

“The family is going to be pissed at your uncle, even if…”

“Doesn’t matter, my nose can take it, your smile and happiness makes the crookedness worth while” Albus cut her off with a joke and reassurance like always... _ it wasn’t fair towards him _ . “Now what do you have in mind?”

“A small ceremony, outside the castle at night. In Mum’s dress” Lea answered and Albus smiled, his eyes twinkling at her. 

“That can be done easily, sooner than you think. If you want it?” Albus suggested and Lea thought for a moment before nodding. It was better done sooner than later, if it was to protect the babe. Term would be starting soon. “If you want I can make the other preparations myself based on my knowledge of you and what can be done at short notice…”

“Thank you uncle” Lea smiled and Albus brought her into a quick hug before getting to work.

* * *

They had been fussing for hours, trying to get her mother’s old wedding dress to fit perfectly. The white ball gown dress with white sleeves to her wrists was beautiful but she felt awkward when she was the obstacle everyone had to move around. They had snuck in the silver and white flower patterned veil under her silver and diamond encrusted tiara. 

Her hair was down in waves, the tiara keeping her hair at bay and allowing her to show off her neck and ears. She wore simple silver and diamond studs shaped as stars. 

That was when she felt the weight on her neck and saw her mother putting a silver necklace with a long cuboid red crystal ensnared by two silver serpents around her neck while moving her hair out the way.

“A charm of the old magic to protect you and the babe. I was going to have them ensnaring a emerald and give it to you at Christmas but I managed to get help with a last minute alteration” she smiled at her and Lea heard a click, then looked down at her right hand wrist to see a small silver bracelet with Alder trees swaying in the wind embossed in the design put there by her grandmother Irene. 

“Something old that you can keep other than the rings of course and…” Irene began only to stop and bring out a small oak antique box with ravens carved into the lid. She opened it to reveal a silver ring with blue sapphire in the centre with white diamonds jutting out of both sides of the sapphire. She slid the ring on her left hand ring finger. 

“A Prince family heirloom from Severus, you may be skipping several steps but he wants you to have it” her mother explained and Lea examined the ring happily. Then stood up in her white flowery boots to plant a kiss on both women's cheeks.

They were wearing long off the shoulder light blue dresses with matching shoes, both had their hair in braided buns. Her grandmother’s hair was completely white compared to Lea’s mother’s, age had gotten to her but she still could out run them both with ease and even put Albus to shame with how she could climb trees like a monkey.

“I think it is time” Irene said finally and they led her out of the empty classroom and started to make their way to the outside doors that led to the forest. 

It was slightly chilly from the light breeze coming their way but the beautiful night sky made up for it.

Lea's eyes widened in surprise as she saw McGonagall in fancy blue robes and a witches hat calming Ella by the doors. 

“She wanted to see you off, but she will likely leave after we arrive. She’s not too fond of the others” her mother explained and Ella snorted in response at the mention of the others making Lea chuckle. 

They helped her up and walked to the lit clearing in the forest ahead, Albus would have had to pull all the stops to have the centaurs be okay with this. 

They got closer and they saw who had shown up. Her uncle and great uncle were separated by her father with space for her mother. Her grandfather was next to her uncle and his husband Xander, wanting to be as far from Albus as possible while leaving space for her grandmother Irene. It was a shame her grandmother Martha had passed not long after her starting Hogwarts, she would be in awe of Ella.

Her friends Keith and Charlotte were there as well, looking at her concerned.

Some of the teachers had arrived early before term started, most of them she recognised. 

Hagrid was at the far back who even at this far of distance seemed to have tears in his eyes.

She saw Lucius had made it with a group of people she did not recognise but the woman nearest to the flowery archway looked familiar even at a distance, her swallow skin looked just like Severus in the light.

Severus was...looking quite handsome, his nose looked noble and his hair was clean in a ponytail. His black dress robes looked fancy even from here, his jabot collar over his white shirt seemed to be held in place by something she could not make out. However she wondered how on earth he found more places for buttons than his usual attire.

They stopped and helped her down. As expected the unicorn mare trotted off, not wanting to even entertain the wizards there in the mass of blue dresses and black dress robes. Her mother took her left arm and her grandmother her right as they led her down the path to the archway. 

Her stomach was doing summersaults as they walked until she caught a whiff of garlic invading her nose, she looked to the left of her and found it was a man in purple turban that was the source, she felt uneasy even more all of a sudden as his head was turned away from her. 

She looked away and they continued walking until she reached Severus. Who looked as nervous as she felt with a small smile to prove it, her family was now in position. 

She noticed it was a silver brooch holding his jabot in place, it had a raven standing in a crown.

The wedding officiant with small tufty hair began “Ladies and Gentleman, we are gathered here today to celebrate the joining of two faithful souls…” 

He called for the rings, a blonde haired boy looking like Lucius but in miniature with short slicked back hair came forward with a blue satin pillow holding a black stone chest covered in runes, they hadn’t been in Alder family for as long as other old wizarding families but they were special to her grandmother Irene, they were her grandparents rings then her parents. Lea’s parents Albert and Aurora had their own made since Erica had put the rings in the family vault to spite Irene.

The boy who she assumed was Draco opened the chest to reveal two silver rings with several black and white diamonds encircling the bands with runes etched inside the bands. They practically wafted of the use of the old magic, that was placed by Lea’s great great grandparents.

Snape temporarily removed her sapphire ring ready to place her wedding band on her. 

“Do you, Severus Tobias Snape, take Lea Ariana Dumbledore in this life, in sickness and in health until the veil parts you?” the officiant asked.

“Yes, I do” he replied and placed her wedding band on her ring finger, it’s size adjusted for her and it glowed white for a moment before dimming. He then replaced her sapphire ring after it and brought her hand to his lips, her heart fluttered.

“Do you, Lea Ariana Dumbledore, take Severus Tobias Snape in this life, in sickness and in health until the veil parts you?” the officiant now asked her.

“Yes, I do” she answered and took his ring which also adjusted to his finger before glowing as well. 

Snape rose her veil above her tiara.

“...then I declare you bonded for life.” With that the officiant raised his wand and a shower of silver stars fell upon then them both, ensnaring them both as he brought his lips to hers. Her heart beated to his and she felt as if time stopped for a moment. 

Their lips parted ways and she felt someone glaring holes into their backs but before she could look, a heart touching bird song reached their ears over head. They looked up to see the large bird of crimson and gold singing above them to then land on the archway above them.

She saw some of Lucius’s associates shiver on hearing it and the man in the turban did not seem comfortable at all.  _ Why wasn’t he looking at them? And why did he seem familiar?  _

Fawkes finished singing and looked pleased with himself before beginning to preen himself. 

Then she caught a glance of the man in the turban’s face, Quirrell? The former muggle studies teacher.

Sn...no..Severus led her to the castle after the officiant dismissed them all, she heard him joking with his friends before they pointed to the door to the castle, pushing him to lift her up and take her into the castle.

To her surprise he wrapped his arms around her and he lifted her up, taking her just inside then putting her down. His friends were disappointed that their fun was short lived and Severus shot them a warning look as they made their way to the great hall. 

Gone were the house tables, all except one which was placed a short distance in front of the staff table. Both covered in white cloth and golden platters. Lea noticed the headmaster’s seat had been moved further down so they could sit in the middle of the staff table, the wedding cake was on the side standing tall. 

It was white with three tiers, covered in flowers created with icing. She noticed sweet peas covering the bottom layer and roses on the second with a unicorn topper on the third. 

She spotted a man with a harp on the other table, ready to greet Albus with his other musician friends. 

She sat with Severus as the rest followed suit. The woman she had seen at the ceremony sat next to Severus, she smiled and offered her hand which Lea shook.

“This is my mother, Eileen Snape née Prince” Severus informed Lea and she smiled towards the older woman. Her hair was in a simple bun and she shared the same eyes as her son. “This is my now wife Lea, as you gathered mother.”

“Finally Severus” Eileen told him and his face snapped to look unamused towards his mother. “Can’t a mother be happy that her son is building a family of his own...shame you couldn’t be bothered to invite your father.”

“Muggles aren't allowed at Hogwarts, Mother” he sneered and Eileen shook her head in disapproval.

“She’s the headmaster’s great niece, Sev. You could have at least asked. He’s upset now” Eileen scolded him and his nose scrunched up in disgust. “Don’t give me that Sev, you're afraid your father would embarrass you or something? He hasn’t touched the stuff since you left us.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it” he spat, going to rise with Lea to thank their guests. As her father shook his head of messy short hair to refuse as he glared towards Severus. “I would do a speech but I’ll put it simply, I’m married. She’s beautiful and I’m happy, let’s eat.”

With that the plates filled with food instantly and the rest of the hall looked confused for a moment but his friends started laughing.

“That’s a speech, Sev? You're meant to thank your guests not brag and go, here's food” one of the dark haired men on the other table sitting next to Lucius yelled out.

“Avery, this is my wedding. You're being thanked with food, you lump. Be grateful and for the record, if I really wanted to brag you all would be here all night” Severus countered and Avery just burst out laughing with others. Lucius looked like he was trying really hard to be polite. Severus whispered in her “Are you going to speak or is Lucius going to?”

She went bright red and whispered in his ear no. He helped her sit down moving her chair for her.

“Sev, look you embarrassed the poor girl. This is why it took you this long to snag one” Avery snickered and her cheeks became brighter. Severus sneered at the man.

“Enough Avery, if the bride’s embarrassed by anyone it’s you” Lucius scolded him and Avery shrugged his shoulders and quietened down. They all got their glasses ready for Lucius’s speech. “Now we’ve known dear old Sev for years now and I must say after all the hassle teaching him how to act and treat a lady seemingly for nought, it finally paid off. May you, your wife and your future children live well and by the old ways.”

There were less than enthusiastic toasts from most of the hall compared to Lucius’s group, Severus downed his drink and snagged her glass to do the same. Lucius seemed to catch onto this and his eyes narrowed towards her.

She caught both her father, uncle and Xander clenching their teeth in anger. Her mother faked a smile, Irene paid no mind and Albus went to chatting with McGonagall as everyone went to eat. 

The baby potatoes, pork chops, carrots and baby corn were mouth watering good. Lea just focused on eating as everyone talked, she noticed the worried glances brought her way on occasion and her father surveying the room. 

Her grandfather had been dangerously quiet, which meant he was waiting to tear Albus a new one after the guests had gone.

“So Lea how old are you, I hate to ask but…” Eileen began to ask and received a sharp glare from her son.

“18. She turned 18 on July 31st” Albert spoke up and Severus shifted uncomfortably. She noticed Quirrell fidget as well, something about him she didn’t like aside from the smell. Why would he come if he wasn’t going to pay attention? “She graduated this year as well.”

It had begun, her father had his claws out and was ready to make Severus’s night as uncomfortable as possible.

“What house may I ask?” Eileen pressed and Albert looked her dead in the eyes from his seat.

“Slytherin” he told her and Eileen just nodded, giving her son a judgmental look soon after. “Advanced Potions and Alchemy as well.”

“What did she get on graduation?” Eileen asked, this woman was beyond nosey at this point. Lea could see Severus holding himself back from snapping at the both of them.

“9 N.E.W.Ts, with obviously Alchemy and Ancient Studies” Albert said and Lea placed her left hand on the bridge of her nose. “She only failed one assignment and that was Divination, which she dropped along with Muggle studies and  Arithmancy. But 9 O’s across the board…”

“Dad, stop please” Lea interrupted, leaning back in her chair uncomfortably. “You're giving everyone the wrong idea about me.”

“Nonsense, me and your mother got full perfect sets. We’re just glad you didn’t go through with trying to do the same or worse trying to outdo Albus” Albert continued, not caring of the ears paying attention to their conversation. Lea was silently hoping Trelawney had not heard a single word and would not start going on about how closed her hidden eye was or complain about Irene’s book. “What did Albus tell me you said after hearing her results, Severus...oh yes, she is the pride of Slytherin and has always been your best student.”

“Albert. Stop” Aurora warned him, putting her hand on his shoulder. He tensed and finally nodded after seeing Lea’s pale features silently begging him to stop. Aurora nodded to Albus who signaled for the musicians to start playing.

Severus helped her out of her chair and moved them quickly to the dance floor away from the others. 

He linked one hand with hers and placed the other on her waist. They danced slowly and Severus took the opportunity to whisper in her ear “after we cut the cake, I say we run and lock the door. Unless you want your own place to sleep?”

“I’m actually looking forward to escaping with you and letting you distract me from tonight” Lea answered, she could practically feel the growl in his throat while he tightened his hold on her. 

She could feel him against her and she felt herself become hotter.

“Does he need a dance?” he asked and she sighed.

“It’s expected and things won’t change if we push him away, in fact he’ll see it as a sign that something is wrong” Lea said under her breath, exhausted by the theatrics everyone else was playing. 

“There’s a problem” he began almost halfway through the song and Lea looked up at him, to see his brow furrowed in worry. “I can’t get him to stay down.”

She blinked for a moment and she went bright red when she realised what he had meant. 

“We cut the cake and then we make our escape,” she said quickly, noticing her father itching to get to do the father and daughter dance to question her. But Severus was one step ahead and they danced closer to the table. 

They stopped at the table to Albert’s annoyance who marched over just as Lea took the knife with Severus’s hand on hers. Her mother was behind him and Lea mouthed to her ‘cover us’. 

She put the large slice on the plate and Severus picked her up in time for Aurora to pull Albert into a kiss. 

* * *

  
  
They had reached the classroom, locked it and had reached the office in time for Severus to mutter ‘purity’ at the painting of two ashwinders fighting, behind his desk. 

Then they heard footsteps, the office door locked and the desk was moved behind it with a wave of their wands before going through the now swung open portrait. 

It swung closed behind them and Lea looked between him and the cake slice she was still holding. 

“It’ll taste better after” he practically growled and she nodded, doubting his words but eager to escape her fabric prison as well as her responsibilities as a host alongside him. He took the plate and disappeared into the room next to the bedroom that she hadn’t seen inside yet. 

She shrugged and sat on the sofa removing her tiara and veil first. She then took out her studs and then removed her bracelet, placing them on the table. She wondered why he hadn’t just put the plate on the table and fucked her there and then but when had Severus not surprised her.

She kept her necklace on, _ best to be safe. _

She went for the boots and he returned, leaning on the doorframe watching her. That was when she reached the back of the dress and panicked,  _ she couldn’t get it off on her own. _

He snorted and walked up to her, offered his hand and helped her up. He then danced his long fingers down the back of the dress making it fall onto the floor instantly, leaving her in only her white lace lingerie. 

She stepped out of the dress at her feet and followed him into the bedroom. 

The door closed and there was the unbuttoning of what Lea felt was a thousand buttons as she laid down on her back on top of the bed covers watching the show. He stopped when he noticed her watching him.

“Would you rather switch places?” she asked and his brows raised as he undid his jabot collar, now undressing at greater speed. 

“Depends, are you looking for a dance? The boys were disappointed I didn’t get one or some fun before being shackled to you” he asked sarcastically, his brows raised. His words actually hurt.

“I’m a prison warden? If that's how you feel…”

“That’s not how I feel, only what they believe...marriage is duty for them” he corrected himself as he removed his coat and started unbuttoning his shirt. “A pretty girl who I will never see again, that I leave like the next day's trash in a hotel room in a foreign country is a highlight of an evening for them. Especially if I’m the one getting the action, they believe I need to lighten up.”

“I hope I’m not as disposable or that awful that you want to find some that is…” she spat and he stopped half way down his white shirt.

“If you were disposable I wouldn’t have suggested you work under me for the spare change Albus gives me...I had every intention of you being draped over my bed, sore from my instruction every morning after” he growled under his breath as his eyes looked up at her as if she was a mouthwatering feast he planned to leave no scraps of. “Yes, it was me who asked Albus and not his plan as may he take credit for...my cock has been aching for a woman that I can repeatedly feast on. I guess it won out in the end.”

“Well I hope to keep your devotion, as I would lie and pretend to hate to admit it...but we are speaking truth tonight. I am a very jealous and spiteful woman” Lea informed him and his lips spread into a smirk.

A small muffled chuckle could be heard from his throat as he dropped his shirt on the floor and he sat on the bed to remove his boots. His eyes focused on her lace panties, he licked his lips and went back to his boots.

“If we are speaking truth, then I should inform you that I have a cruel fate planned for any man who plans to steal you away before I leave them out with the next day’s trash” he growled, his obsidian eyes shone with a malice that sent a shiver down her spine. She almost couldn’t help herself with how much he turned her on.

“As long as they get to live to regret such a decision...I could provide a curse or two for good measure…” she answered in a half purr and the moment he got his socks off, he pounced.

He kissed her lacy underwear between her legs causing her to moan, she felt his smirk against her and her hips reacted wanting more attention to her womanhood but he took a deep whiff of her lacy garment before rubbing his nose against her through the fabric.

She mewled at the attention and bit her lip as he hooked his fingers around each side of her knickers and slowly pulled them down. His mouth was watering at the sight of her wet opening, he removed her garment and took one more whiff of it before tucking it away in his trouser pocket.

“I’m keeping these” he told her, his gaze returning to her sultry eyes. “If you weren't already carrying my seed, after that suggestion of yours...I would have made it a certainty, after tonight.”

“Vengeance gets your friend to port? Well that was only a little taste...though it does make me wonder what the evidence of your seed growing inside me would do to you?” she purred and he jumped and pinned her hands together above her head with one hand..

His trousers and pants vanished in a second. His downstairs department was the hardest she had ever seen him and practically oozing precum. She grinning at him knowingly, biting her lip in anticipation. He wrapped her legs around him with his other hand, before rubbing his long length at her entrance making her cry out.

“You like fucking with me witch?…because I’m gonna fuck you, in that the pretty cunt of yours...I’m going to have you screaming for my mercy and barely walking by sunrise” he growled, his eyes had become so dark she could barely seem light in them.

“I don’t want your mercy...I want to be punished” she purred and locked her legs in place in time for him to plunge himself inside. Her eyes almost rolled back inside her head as his cock had fully sheathed himself inside her with one thrust.

Punishment was what she wanted and punishment was what she received as he did not give her time to adjust to his length and started to fuck her. She was going to be sore later and she knew it.

He gripped her hips roughly, no longer holding her hands down as she wrapped them around his shoulders to hold on. She could see the determination in his eyes and it was like electricity shooting through her bringing her closer to the edge as she continued to fill the room with her gasps of pleasure.

She was so damn close as he pulled her up so she was sitting on him and she helped him thrust inside her as his hands kept her in place. His head buried itself in her breasts, her bra slipping from all the attention she was getting. 

She tried to hold back but she couldn’t as she cried out. 

She was having a hard time focusing as he continued to invade her, his cock stirring her insides. Her sensitivity bringing her closer again, he was grunting louder now as his member twitched.

He removed his head from her chest and slowed his thrusts then brought his left hand to her face, pulling her lips onto his. His tongue easily gaining entry passed her lips and helped muffle her cries.

He made his thrusts harder and longer until he stilled inside her, filling her one pulse at a time.

He slowly came down with her and gently laid her down on her back before pulling from inside her, letting his seed spill from her as they both finished catching their breath. He laid down next to her, adjusting the sheets so they covered them as he vanished the evidence of their intercourse making themselves clean.

He pulled her close and planted kisses on her neck as she relaxed in his arms.

“I would lose my mind almost like I did tonight” he finally answered, his eyes now looking towards her concerned. “Are you two…”

“It’s early, I don’t think I’m big enough to worry about yet unless you have some whips stored away I don’t know about” Lea answered and he frowned. “I know…”

“No it’s surprising...in a good way. Your honesty and vulgarity is refreshing” he told her as she moved to nuzzle his neck but he shifted to get up. “I need to get our cake and some treatment for our...wedding nuptials.” 

She had to admit it in the end, the cake was tastier afterwards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up being longer than expected and I can see why.   
> Hope this was enjoyable, stay safe.


	3. Morning after

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anything can be twisted if your Rita Skeeter

She awoke to her head against his chest but this time he was holding her there like a teddy bear. She shifted and he grumbled something in his sleep before pulling her closer to his chest making her feel his flaccid cock against her. 

She would have to risk it, she tried prying his arm off her but he was glued to her. He was muttering again, _another tactic then_. She planted a kiss on his throat, he moaned but didn’t move. His chin, his friend downstairs climbed up the stairs to meet her. His lips and she was caught in a trap of her making. 

His lips were crushing against hers and his tongue was seeking entry. His tongue boarded and she was lost in the moment as he devoured her face.

She yelped suddenly as she felt his hand down below, feeling her folds. He smirked at her and the wanton noises she was making, only to plunge two fingers inside her knowing she was already wet enough for him as it was.

“That’s what you get for waking me” he growled, as she bucked against the fingers, plunging in and out of her. He then removed his fingers causing her to whine at their removal only for him to flip her on her back and enter her. “I won’t last long this morning, you’ll need to…”

Lea moved her left hand to play with her clit as he moved fast and hard, she started to quiver and cried out only for Severus to immediately quake as he started spurting his thick seed inside her. 

After he finished and removed himself, she wrapped her arms around him and began stroking his head as he rested it in between her breasts. He hummed in response, seemingly in a strong daze after coming.

“Wanna take a bath with me, husband?” she asked him and he mumbled a yes as his face remained buried in her chest. She went to get up but he held on to her mumbling at her about a certain amount of minutes she couldn’t fully make out. She smiled down at him and continued to brush his head with her hand.

He lifted his head after a few more minutes. “I’m ready,” he announced abruptly and they moved out of the bed, towards the bathroom.

They were getting ready to get in the bath when he stopped her to examine her necklace.

“I don’t recognise all the spell work but Albus worked on this” he told her, holding the red crystal in his hand. “This is a mixture of extremely powerful old magic and stuff I’ve never seen before. Never take this off.”

“Wasn’t planning too” she answered, he hummed at her response as he followed her into the water. 

He grabbed the sponge before she could, to start washing her back. “It won’t protect you from everything, so watch out for what you eat, drink, touch or come in range of.” 

“Good thing Grandpa Abe has the goats and…” Lea began only for Severus to cut her off.

“I’ll have antidotes on hand. I’ll keep you both safe” he reassured her as he focused on getting every part of her clean for clearly more than her sake as he briefly touched her left breast. She would let him have this, _besides it was quite comforting_. “Could you do my hair? It’s gotten in quite a state from our sexual endeavours.”

“What do you want to smell like today?” Lea asked and he shrugged. “Okay but you’ll end up smelling like fruit.”

“That’s why you're always hungry” he said matter of factly as she let out a small chuckle as she started rinsing his hair. He seemed to relax under her touch and had stopped in the middle of cleaning her to enjoy her touch. 

Once she finished she decided to use her hands and soap to clean his back as he went back to cleaning her.

“A man could get used to this” he practically growled under his breath as they continued their cleaning session. He paused when she reached his butt. “But stop for now and let me do the rest, I need to walk today.”

She cleaned her hair as he finished cleaning himself up. 

They finished getting themselves ready shortly after that, she had caught his eyes lingering on her body a few times while they were getting dressed. 

She could get used to being admired, held and ravaged on a regular basis. The kissing was good as well.

“So I assume we have a kitchen and…” Lea started to ask as they re-entered the living room and he opened the door next to the bedroom revealing a unlit kitchen in response before closing it.

“My personal workroom is next to the bathroom but I will be moving my things to turn it into a nursery” he then told her and she blinked in surprise, she felt guilty about taking his special room from him for the baby. He noticed. “Don’t worry, it’s actually a good thing we are. I have a reason to turn down some assignments, in future.”

_Ah, he means turn down ‘him’._

“The baby will need to stay with us at first, in their crib, until they are old enough for their own room” he continued, leading the way out of their quarters into his office.

The jars unnerved her as they did the first time she had entered the room in her first year, but there was only half of what she had seen previously. She took note of his desk that was already stacked high with papers. 

The table nearby that she used to write on for detentions. 

The fireplace was guarded by the same grate as the living room in his quarters. 

Three paintings stood watch of the room, behind the desk was a painting of two ashwinders fighting each other which now slid closed behind them. The empty black painting above the fireplace that reminded her of his quarters and then a large ship sailing across the crushing waves of a storm being entangled by a kraken beside some shelves. 

She noticed the cupboard of his private stock of ingredients in the corner was open with a few boxes near it, also the addition of a pensieve bowl hidden beside it.

“I might ask for larger storage and have a space in here for them as well. So we can watch them while I mark essays and hold the more quiet students' detentions” Severus mused and looked to her for input.

“Anything that can be grabbed or smashed would not be allowed near them, knowing my mother and father’s sides, the little one will be especially magically talented” Lea interjected and he nodded as some colour drained from his face. “I wasn’t hang other kid’s toys in the rafters, bad. No, I wanted to hug and befriend everything...but there is a reason why I have no siblings.”

“Good to know….what was your mother like? I mean…” Severus began to ask hesitantly, he was having a hard time looking at her.

“Awful, demands and tantrums galore. Worried my grandmother Irene for a long time but she calmed down...eventually” Lea answered, shifting uncomfortably as she did so but it was enough for Severus’s shoulders to relax. 

“Well at least there's hope if they're difficult” he answered with gritted teeth. 

“A lot of things will be different for our baby, Severus. We also have two very experienced family members who know how to deal with difficult children, that can help us and want to as well” Lea reassured him and he nodded. “Anyway, we should go eat before breakfast ends. We have a staff meeting and a lot of preparing for the horde of children that will be awaiting us at the end of the month.”

“Just beware, we will be questioned” Severus reminded her and she gave him a small reassuring smile. 

“Let’s face them together” she answered and he took her hand to lead her outside his office.

* * *

They reached the hall to be met with the eyes of the whole staff table as they slowly made their way to get breakfast. There seemed to be a silent agreement from most of the staff, that they wanted nothing to do with the pair as they sat down at the end of the table together.

Freshly squeezed orange juice took her fancy and Severus got himself some french breach and eggs. She started picking out what she wanted to eat as well, she chose the same with the addition of some bacon rashers. Severus took one of the apples to keep for after and borrowed Albus’s paper.

He sneered at the headline but continued reading anyway, grabbing himself a mug of tea to drink while he did so. 

“Lea I would suggest some fruit” he said in a stern tone as he continued reading, she relented and picked a banana for afterwards. “I only suggested because the amount of cake you demolished last night, you're lucky there was even that much left.”

“So…” Lea started to ask about the paper but he got there before her.

“Rita writes fast when she wants to, Lea. It’s garbage speculation that anyone who’s known you or I long enough would know that. I don’t give free rides, even to my favourites. Asking for such is enough to earn a year of scrubbing the castle toilets” he answered, putting the paper down to eat as most of the table continued to watch them anxiously. 

“I would expect so,” Flitwick spoke up, looking across the table at them. “It’s all speculation, so how did you two...happen?”

Lea and Severus looked at each other for a moment, before he nodded for her to explain. 

“On the 3rd, we bumped into each other and talked. Things kind of escalated from there” Lea explained, it was better to just be honest here. The alternative was worse, she took a deep breath before adding the last part. “We are expecting.”

“Ah, that explains a lot” Flitwick mused, he was accepting the answer, _thankfully_. It was truthful but others may think differently. “Well it happened, I can’t say you two are not the first.”

“In fact it’s a more common occurrence than most of the wizarding world would have you believe, but considering you and the little one will be staying with us. There’s some things you need to know, first names away from students and titles in front” Pomona began and the others nodded to each other. “Babysitting requires bribery, booking advance and not for longer than a day. Children can only sit with us until they are sorted and during the summer holidays. Wands are locked away with Albus during summer until they are seventeen.”

“Most have them go on trips during class to avoid them seeing magic being cast by the other children and so the students don’t get jealous. You don’t really need to worry until 5 and then you can send them to Fiona in Hogsmeade or with family during daytime classes” Filius interjected while Lea and Severus took mental note of all this. “Library is out of bounds, until sorting and is locked in the summer. Same for common rooms, except in emergencies or when they still need constant care.”

“No brooms, no pets that are not on the list unless within reason and approval unless they are with you constantly...and we will know. No running, no letting them wander about alone, no leaving them alone in classrooms, no letting students take care of them for credit or detention….” Minerva began to list everything off until Albus handed Lea a small brown book.

“This is the book, read it and memorise it. Keep it with you, always” Albus told her and she took a quick look inside. “Yes and it’s self editing. It will let you know about any new changes.”

“Also you should know your rights, you are legally allowed to stay in your husband’s quarters and are allowed to request bigger accommodations now within reason. Food, drink and medical care is provided but you don’t have the rights or abilities of a teacher. Your great uncle as you know already has finally say on everything” Filius piped up and the other teachers were ignoring them now, their curiosity sated.

“Unless you decide to assist Severus on a regular basis, that is, also you might want to read part of that nonsense” Albus interjected before pointing to the newspaper. 

Lea picked up the paper and saw a beautiful photo of the moment of her and husband's union where it showed the magic bonding her souls. That’s when she felt eyes looking over her shoulder, it wasn’t Severus who was next to her and Quirrell to the other side of her, had his face away from her chatting to Septima Vector. 

She shook the feeling off but it wouldn’t go away. She saw a photo of her and Severus dancing, she hoped to take the both photos for later. Then the photo of the boil and trouble 1990 annual school potion contest of her with Severus holding up the trophy, having won first place, the first time after a 50 year drought. 

The photo of her, Sprout, Albus and Severus showing off her pure golden roses that she made for her final N.E.W.T Herbology presentation. Then there was her awards for aspiring young magic maker award for the altering and singing lights spells she created. There were even photos she did not know even existed of her gathering ingredients and sitting with Ella reading. 

Then an excerpt of an older article of her being the first baby in a hundred years born at Hogwarts with a photo of her as a new born in her parents arms. That really surprised her...but she guessed Hogwarts was really the only place for her mother to give birth to her with the lowest risk of ‘him’ stealing her away when everyone was distracted. 

But then she saw it…

_But why would such an ‘aspiring witch’ throw everything away to have an illicit relationship with her teacher, especially if the rumours are found true that their relations started sooner. A few former students may have the answer…_

_‘She was always his favourite student, that was clear on the first day. He had her in his office on that day and a regular basis after that. She never scored lower than top of his potions class and he always had to show off her work to us and the other teachers, calling her the ‘pride and joy of Slytherin house’. Even made sure she was made prefect and head girl’ Marcey McClaggan, same year student of Gryffindor house._

_'She even was awarded several school trophies for minor feats and would be allowed to get away with murder by the other teachers for being a Dumbledore. Even snuck a massive ball python into the castle and barely got a slap on her wrist, while Snape kept the thing in his office. Her and some of the teachers even started laughing at it’s name Monty for some weird reason’ Gregor McLaggen, same year student of Gryffindor house and nephew to Tiberius McLaggen, inventor of the Wolfsbane potion._

_An interview with a fellow same year student from Slytherin, her own house reveals more damning details._

_'She always found a way to spend time with our head of house, whether it was ‘being caught flashing him’ the contents under her skirt after being caught climbing the trees in the forbidden forest. Or being searched for Bowtruckles that she brought from the forest to requesting extra potions classes. She even begged him for early Alchemy classes and to go with him on trips the forest ‘to gather ingredients’ or to visit that mentally unwell unicorn because she ‘believed it’ was shedding its horn’ Sarissa Malfoy, second cousin once removed to Lucius Malfoy, head of the Malfoy family._

‘ _So she and the head of house have always been close?’ Rita Skeeter._

_'Yes, ever since she started she’s received special treatment from all the teachers. It got worse in our sixth year when she started handing him baked goods and potion ingredients for use of the labs outside class. She even got him to lend her books from his personal collection’ Sarissa Malfoy._

_‘Baked goods?’ Rita Skeeter._

_‘She would sneak into the kitchens and cook him treats. He seemed to be noticeably paler, sickly even and a little more ‘aware of her’ after she started making them. She also would sneak little touches on his hands or arm when handing them over or while he was examining her cauldron’ Sarissa Malfoy._

_‘I highly doubt she needed to do as you're suggesting, she is a very pretty girl and he is...I have to say, lacking in that department. Not to mention related to his employer, with top grades and got the boil and trouble trophy back from Beauxbatons. While being a remaining member of the former pure Alder bloodline with Albus’s ear. A potions master of his skill would be able to snag her with the right potion’ Rita Skeeter._

_'Severus had always had no interest in such things, even while being a remaining member of the former pure Prince bloodline. She likely wanted him for his blood and friendship with my cousin to help with her father’s failed bids for Minister. She likely tricked him, claiming a random guy's babe as his own, so he would be compelled to marry her’ Sarissa Malfoy._

_‘A guy with his_ _physique and his skill set likely already knows if she’s carrying and by whom. Most likely made sure of it as soon as she was fair game to assure she would walk the aisle with him and keep her close...though it does surprise me that you’ve taken this much interest in Mrs Snape's husband with your upcoming wedding into the Avery family, to his friend to be exact’ Rita Skeeter._

She continued reading, she had heard stories of Avery and his sick sense of humour as well as him being a coward.

It stung that she would go after her husband while besmirching her, especially after her suggestion to Albus to help her only to have this interview made for the morning edition of the Prophet. They knew Sarissa did receive the letter from Minerva before mid afternoon before the Malfoy’s and Severus’s friends were informed. 

She couldn’t tell if Sarissa was stupid or she was just putting on a act of trying to save her husband while putting his career at risk.

She put the paper down and noticed Severus had started to make a fruit platter, preparing a selection of fruit on a plate between. He was not going to be subtle about his want for her and the baby to have a better diet.

“Avery will treat her well, best choice compared to what Lucius’s cousin was intending. In fact he only said yes to keep her away from her father’s selection and won’t touch her without her consent” Severus spoke up, as he grabbed one of the green grapes for himself. _At least he was partaking in the healthy food he was insisting on._ Not that she didn’t know she had to eat better for the little one's sake. “He even told me to apologise on his behalf since he will have his hands full, trying to do damage control and for us to expect a reaction. I was going to tell you after breakfast, before we moved you into our quarters.”

_Of course he was. It would sour her mood for certain._

“How is Monty?” Albus piped in cheerfully and she looked up with a smile.

_A wanted distraction._

“Spoilt is what he is, he was in mother’s greenhouse gorging himself last time I saw him” Lea answered and Severus snorted in some form of amusement. 

She remembered Monty, her mother’s pet snake sneaking into her belongings for Hogwarts and her being brought into Severus’s office on the first night she arrived to be told an elf had found him. Her mother couldn’t stop laughing when she was told and it was agreed that he got to stay in Severus’s magically warmed office until Christmas since he already snuck in once. 

Severus also got some snake skin out of the deal. 

The rest of breakfast was uneventful but she caught Trelawney’s judgemental glances and had already decided to ignore Quirrell just as he was ignoring her.

* * *

They almost reached her old family home in Hogsmeade, which Irene had bought after selling the ruins of the Alder family home and land to her uncle since she didn’t want to live there after what her family did and what happened to them. 

She had refused to sell to anyone at first, despite not wanting to live there. Until her uncle suggested a contract with her and because she wanted to keep it accessible to the remaining family she had.

The Alder family orchard was surprisingly, mostly untouched and was of use to her grandmother and her. The family made their money from having a wide selection of trees viable for wand craft and selling a chance at some branches, with the occasional family wandmaker using them. 

The occasional magizoologist would pay also to observe the Bowtruckles there and feed them. 

Potioneers, apothecaries and shops wanting potion ingredient stock would even pay a pretty penny for an order of ingredients such as Wiggentree bark. 

That's when they noticed the boxes and bags being piled onto a cart outside. Her mother was keeping watch of the cart with a mug of tea in her right hand as her father continued moving Lea’s things.

“He’s still upset. Best leave him be until things calm down” Aurora called out to them as they made it through the large black metal gate connected to the large brick fence around their large orange brick home. 

Her father’s body stance and glares towards Severus made it even more clearer.

“It was for the best to be honest, most were avoiding broaching the subject and your father would have decked the fool that would of suggested smashing the cake in your face” Aurora continued and Severus just nodded quietly. _His friends would have._ “Albus is having a Thestral drawn cart bring your things up, your friends understood and want you to write. Excluding Albus, the family have been resentful to the arrangement. Your grandmother and I will be visiting after term starts.”

“Thanks mum, but why didn’t Albus tell us?” Lea asked and her mother placed a hand to the bridge of her nose.

“Because he wants you to visit and calm the situation without being hampered by the enormous task of moving and Abe threatened him when the party was over” Aurora explained, her tone was strained as her face twisted into a scowl. “He’s a fool. Abe was pissed before but now he’s made it clear he has no brother and if he comes down here, his nose will be the least of his worries.”

“He’s upgraded his threat” Lea replied, exasperation evident in her voice. 

Albus had been put on warning years ago to stay away from the rest of the family unless it was an emergency or they went to him. Letters were allowed to ensure everyone stayed informed and he could request to see them. 

Her uncle refused to even step foot in Hogsmeade while school was in session unless his family required him, he did not consider Albus family. 

There was a pause before her mother spoke again, just as her father stopped for a break to have a bottle of beer while watching silently. 

“Me and your father are retiring to stay here full time, aside from helping Abe and your uncle on occasion we’ll be here to help if you need us” Aurora began and Lea’s eyes widened in confusion. “Also I will be requesting Albus to allow us to offer Ella to stay in the large meadow we have out back, I and mother have a gut feeling that the forest will be inadvisable for her to stay in for the next seven years.”

Lea was quiet for a few moments before speaking. “It’s about Potter boy isn’t it?” she asked and Severus stilled, looking to the ground gritting his teeth.

“We think so too, even more reason for us to stay nearby…..something seems to be at Hogwarts already, watching and waiting. We don’t know what it is but trust no one with the babe until they are gone...the dreams we had terrified us Lea” her mother continued, seemingly stalling for time before she broke down in tears at the last part. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I made the joke and happy about it. I love their work.  
> Also fixed error over dates to my knowledge, my math was a bit wrong. They had a little more time before September, should be on to the sorting soon or next update...working out timing.  
> edit: added sentence to make something clearer  
> edit: added sentence on Alder family land  
> edit: cousin mention, I learned something on family trees and my brain hurts


	4. Before the horde arrives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five is bigger than one

She didn’t know what she had been expecting when she arrived at the edge of the forest and saw Ella waiting with two other mares, a stallion and a golden foal. She trotted up to Lea and Aurora with her companions, seeming to know where they were going.

“I guess her family is moving in” Lea chuckled and Aurora just nodded as they began following the group of unicorns across the grounds. 

“Well, we have the time and space, besides they mostly care for themselves” Aurora replied as they kept moving with the small herd. “Do you think they would give us a lift, it’s a long way down.”

There was a snort and both of them looked at each other,  _ I guess not. _

“We should tell Albus that five, not one is leaving the grounds,” Lea said but Aurora just nodded to the castle gate.

A figure in bright purple robes had stopped in mid wave near the gates and Lea just looked back at her mother, her brow furrowed as they noticed another figure with a green bowler hat as they got closer.

They got to the gate and the herd had to stop. 

“I was told it was the one” Fudge said, adjusting his pinstripe suit looking at them dumbfounded.

“We suggested to Ella that she could stay with us, then she brought her family” Lea answered and Albus let out a small laugh.

“Amazingly intelligent creatures, unicorns are. She must have a reason to bring them and knows just how well her family will be treated under our family’s care” Albus noted, stroking his beard while his eyes twinkled towards Lea.

“Of course Albus, but I did say the one. Just one unicorn attracts all sorts of unsavoury parties” Fudge began and Ella snorted in disapproval.  _ She was insistent. _

“I’ve put my own protections on the family home and we have a large shed they can sleep in if it gets too windy or cold. Plus enough grass, brush and other resources they may need” Albus started to reassure him, as Ella started pawing the ground in annoyance. “Besides my family will protect them and I won’t be far.”

Fudge sighed before putting his hands up in the air in frustration. “Fine, but ensure nothing happens. This is causing enough trouble as it is” he reluctantly agreed, now going through his suit's inner pocket to take a permit out which he immediately signed and handed to Aurora. “Good day, Albus. We’ll have a chat about this later.”

Fudge then left them in a huff at the school gate, all while complaining under his breath as he went.

“How are we going to move them without certain parties noticing them?” Lea asked and Albus smiled down at her.

“Leave that to me and your mother” Albus said, winking at her. “Besides, your things should have arrived by now.”

_ Which translates, it is illegal and I don’t want you seeing or getting in trouble for it. _

“Take care Ella, I’ll visit you and the family soon enough” Lea told her and gave her a quick pet on the back before heading back to the castle.

* * *

She reached the classroom only to hear arguing as she knocked on the door in order to alert Severus she was there, she could use her wedding ring but that was for emergencies. 

It had little magic that allowed them to focus on their rings to make their partner’s ring warm up to alert them, if needed and in rare cases give a location.

The door unlocked and Lea walked in to see Eileen and Severus standing near his cauldron at his desk overlooking the classroom. 

Severus was red faced with his nostrils flared as Eileen looked towards her with a look of complete ire.

“Your things are in the living room, Lea. My mother was just leaving” Severus informed her, his voice was straining between bitterness and trying to speak to Lea calmly.

“Leaving? We are not even close to being done, Severus” Eileen snapped,  _ she could see where he got his temper from _ . 

“We are and I don’t care where you heard that nonsense from, I will not tolerate you insulting my wife” he snarled as he tried to focus on his cauldron. Lea came to stand behind his desk and looked down at the book in front of him. 

It was a mastery level concoction, that required specialised training and a basic healers license. She took notice of all the notes and writing on the page about nausea potions before accepting the stall he summoned for her.

“Want me to go make lunch and some tea? This potion is beyond a level I can help with” Lea suggested and Severus shook his head. “I didn’t know you had healer training.”

“Albus’s suggestion, he doesn’t like me locking myself away too long to mope” Severus answered, his eyes seemed to soften at her distraction. “Besides I’m allowed to brew a lot more with a license.”

“I’m not done and what do you think you are doing dragging my son down like this, threatening his career and making him raise another man’s child?” Eileen continued her insistence on ranting at them.

“Pardon?” Lea answered, her brows raised in confusion. 

“You heard me, I heard all about you flashing my son and seducing him with womanly charms” Eileen replied, almost growling under breath as she stared her down.

Lea’s just blinked and looked back at Severus in confusion. “You know it was the both of us that pounced on each other on the 3rd, right? Besides what you're implying about him is…”

Severus interrupted “Disgusting, she was my student at the time according to the slander Sarissa is spilling...underage. She’s only accusing her of seducing me because it makes Lea look less like a victim, while she threatens my job.”

“Why would she do that? What would be the point?” Eileen continued, Lea repressed the urge to roll her eyes.

“Because they are also implying that I didn’t earn anything. She wants us both to be investigated, for Severus to lose his job and never be employed again. While having my qualifications and awards taken along with any chances of me making any money. She’s trying to destroy our lives” Lea explained, her tone becoming strained as she bit back her anger.

“But why would she want…”

“Because she is a bitter, vengeful and spoiled brat that Lucius has been limiting along with her father, access to the family vault. They wanted her to marry me and get back in Lucius’s good books while dipping into my pockets since they thought I was an easy target. Since most candidates caught on fast” Severus interrupted, trying to hold his concentration on his potion while doing so. “I refused and then they suggested she work for me. I refused again. I then ended up suggesting Lea for the role of my assistant, after our chance encounter and my third assistant took off running.”

Lea paled as he continued,  _ why didn’t anyone say to her that Sarissa was willing to go this far. _

“I found out that I have a child on the way and Lea agreed to marry me, she did push the matter to have Sarissa, to have a chance to work rather than marry. We thought that the job would be a wake up call for Sarissa or at least keep her under strict supervision”

It was like a soap opera storyline,  _ if she had known she wouldn't have pressed the matter and kept an eye out. She wasn’t like this at school, Sarissa mostly ignored her and made the occasional comment about her family. _

“But she thought the job was my doing and made a move on me. I refused her and she completely lost it, causing her to be dragged off by Narcissa. She was then informed she either got work or married because Lucius was cutting her and father off. Her father’s selection was highly questionable, so she was set up with Avery”

Lea’s eyes flashed red for a second, as the air began to heat up around them. So she was still after her husband after he refused her,  _ after all It’s not as if she actually wanted the job to work. _

That was not what pissed her off the most, it was the fact that Sarissa tried to go after Severus after his clear disinterest in her.  _ She would pay. _

“She found out I was married and did this, to get revenge because Merlin forbid a man of my appearance refuse her, let alone a half blood, especially for a Dumbledore” Severus finished and saw the suppose to be grey liquid turn brown causing him to vanish it in an angry wave of his hand. 

Lea blinked at the sight and snapped out of her state of silent seething anger. She paled and looked up Severus apologetically, thinking her accidental magic had something to do with his potion failing.

“I was going to tell you everything after breakfast, so you could at least enjoy part of our wedding and have time to process as much as you could,” Severus told her, now sitting back in his chair as he exhaled deeply, trying to calm himself down.

“Severus, I…” Eileen began, snapping their attention to her as she seemed pale at the revelation.

“Don’t. You insulted my wife and my intelligence. Now I’ve messed up my potion” Severus cut her off, his mother seemed to shrink as a result.

“I’m sorry to both of you” Eileen began, her eyes watery. “I know you don’t want to talk with me…”

“Lea, could you?” Severus interrupted and tilted his head to his office, she nodded and got up. “I’ll join you soon enough, don’t move anything just yet. You need to be in good shape for our appointment with Poppy and the staff meeting this evening.”

She slipped back into their quarters and sat on the sofa waiting. It was a while before she heard anything. The portrait opened, Lea didn’t get much time to process his current state as soon as he laid eyes on her. 

He was upon her, his lips on hers and his hands pulling her robes up.

“I need...I need…” he repeated under his breath as he kept capturing her lips, her knickers were pulled to her ankles. 

She had gotten the garment off one leg but he had his cock out of his robes and inside her before she could remove them entirely. There was deep intake of breath as he entered her but she had no time to adjust as he was rushing to completion.

He thrusts inside her were fast and needy. His hands were in her platinum blonde hair pulling her deeper into his lips. 

He wasn’t going to last long and she had no time to reach her ending as he released inside her.

For a few moments he was silent before removing his cock and burying his head in her breasts as if he could hide there forever and they were his sanctuary from whatever he was feeling.

He hummed in approval as she wrapped her arms around him to rub his back to soothe him. 

Then it happened, he sat up and stared down at the evidence of his seed dripping from her. He waved his hand to clean them up both pulling her green panties off her right leg. 

He clutched them in his hands before stuffing them into his robes. “If you keep taking them, I will run out of them, soon enough” Lea chuckled and his lips almost twitched into a smile.

“You say it as if it would be a bad thing” he snorted, he turned to face her and planted a kiss on her lips. He was then silent as he turned again to face away from her. “Mother wants to come back and be a part of our child's life, I informed her the conditions but she wasn’t listening as always. I don’t want our child anywhere near my vile excuse of a father and I suspect if she is allowed anywhere near them that my mother will bring them to my father.”

Lea took his hand and squeezed it, to reassure him. “I’ll keep an eye out and we can warn the others if needed” Lea told him and he looked up towards her. “What Sarissa has done is revolting, especially towards you but no matter what they say about you, I will be here for you. To support you.”

“Why did you insist on helping her?” Severus asked, his voice strained as he squeezed her hand to show he was taking her words to heart.

“I honestly didn’t know she was that bad, I thought she was just spoiled and unaware how the world truly worked...that I might be naturally prejudiced to her and she might be angry for a reason. I strongly believe that it’s important to have a choice at least even if it’s given to them by handing them the tools they need to do so” Lea explained and then shifted uncomfortably before continuing. “If I had known she had done this, I wouldn’t have suggested anything. It is like what my mother always says ‘you can’t help everyone, that mercy is often wasted on the merciless’. I was being dangerously naïve and should have asked more questions.”

“No, I told Albus to not shelter you so much and you needed to know more, but he pushed the matter…..matters are far more worse than you have been told, some parents have already asked for my removal and an investigation. Albus has performed one quietly behind our backs after we first copulated” Severus informed her and she moved closer to him. “His findings and report will be published tonight on the Minister’s behest in the Prophet’s evening edition along with following statements in the morning.”

“I see” she said under breath, it made sense. He wouldn’t even entertain the idea of Lea working for Severus without confirmation that their relationship hadn’t started earlier. 

“This will not persuade everyone and we have been warned of parents possibly acting out along with ‘certain students’. I warn you now as I assume you have already worked out, that some may slip you an antidote to a love potion” Severus informed her and she nodded.

It was known that giving anyone an antidote or medication of any kind without need for it, was risky and her pregnancy meant she needed to be extra careful. 

This is why health potions were such an important discovery, it meant that healers could discover poison and certain conditions without too many invasive tests. 

This also meant that a decently skilled potioneer could detect a love potion and other unsavoury ‘items’ in the blood. As well as witches being able to tell they were pregnant days after conception. 

Love potions were extremely varied in quality and how easy they are to detect. A health potion however could detect them with ease, despite attempts to counter detection.

Love potions were too easy to get a hold of and it wasn’t uncommon for a debate to appear in front of the Wizengamot to get them banned only for a number of bribes to be made so they remained accessible to the public.

There was push back on the discovery of health potions and it was called dangerously unreliable for some time but the love potions industry found a way around them when they became more universally used. 

If it was detectable by a health potion then in their eyes it wasn’t as dangerous and could be sold, especially with a warning on the label. 

With the money from the industry and unsavoury members of high society, along with aggressive marketing, love potions stayed and became more common in joke shops to emphasise how ‘unthreatening’ they were to the public. 

It was sickening to say the least and one of love potions biggest opposers was her husband, who made it his duty to teach health potions as soon as possible while threatening his students to never create a love potion outside his lessons else the consequences would be severe.

Not to mention her great uncle banned them as soon as he became headmaster. 

They were only taught, so students can recognise and counter them, at N.E.W.T level.

Severus had shifted closer to her and was watching her closely as she leaned into him. She sighed and hid in the crook of his neck before he gently nudged her. 

“We need to eat and go see Poppy, Lea” he told her and led her out of the room.

* * *

Lunch had been quiet aside from her husband discussing Quirrell’s sabbatical with him. The wizard was pretending she didn’t exist as usual and she was beginning to suspect she had upset the wizard somehow.

_ Why did she care? It’s not as if she really knew him. _

Poppy’s fussing and only health relating questions however was refreshing to say the least. The appointment was not as scary as Lea had originally believed.

A few wand waves, a blood test and a urine sample later and Poppy was updating her notes as they waited to find out the baby’s gender.

Lea didn’t even know that they could work this out, this early on into her pregnancy. 

Poppy left to check the results as Lea rested on the bed with Severus sitting on a chair near her, reading through the books, leaflets and notes they had been given.

She watched his brow furrow in thought as he flicked through the content, stopping on occasion to stare at a page and make a number of noises based on his opinion on what he was reading. His finger tapped on the contents of one page and he looked up from the book to see her watching.

She blushed and looked away, the embarrassment of the fact she had actually been staring at him for all this time made her feel as if she had trespassed on his own territory and she just wanted to disappear under the bed sheets. 

She felt the bed move under a new weight being pressed onto it. “If you wanted to read them along with me, you could have asked” he told her and she turned to see him sitting and patting the side of the bed for her to get up to sit with him to read the open book in his lap. 

But as soon as she got up, they saw Poppy with a grin on her face, on her way to meet them.

The mediwitch reached them and gave them both a knowing look, Severus hid the book at once as if it would offend her. “A boy. He is progressing well, he’s going to arrive a bit earlier than expected but you were a few months early yourself, so it’s not too much of a surprise” Poppy informed them, her grin never faltered. “Though it will likely mean you're going to be just as prone to moments of accidental magic and the baby draining you magically.”

Severus seemed to, without thinking, place his hand on Lea’s stomach. She looked up to see a smile had creeped on to his face and threatened to disappear at any moment.

Pregnancies for the magical were known for being hard to predict without healer training, especially since a magical child had a chance to tap into their parent’s magic at any time to cause accidents unintentionally or grow faster. 

“We will need to keep a close eye on your progress, so make sure to visit in the next two weeks and come to me if anything changes” Poppy informed them, before becoming her stern and commanding self again. Handing Severus a list. “These are all the things you need to watch out for and be sure she eats well...oh and Lea just because you're eating for two, does not mean an extra slice of cake, it means a yogurt, veg or fruit.”

Severus let out a dark chuckle that made her hair stand on end and her blood run cold at the realisation at the power he now wielded. 

* * *

She did not know what she was expecting as she sat at the back of the long panelled room on one the mismatched chairs along with Minerva, Poppy and Severus. The large wardrobe to the left of the room and the tables had made the room especially cramped as they looked towards Albus addressing them in front of the white fireplace as the clock ticked by above it.

The older witches were watching her closely and had reminded her of the apples on the staff table when they had just finished dinner. 

Severus was displaying a deep and unending joy at the fact he had been given full permission to remind her to eat healthily as well as the willingness of everyone else to help him in this endeavour. 

The list of banned items had grown to Filch’s enjoyment and Albus had closed the right side of the third floor to all students and most of the staff. He didn’t say why and informed them all about the schedule for this year for classes, quidditch and Hogsmeade visits. 

Most of them were minor notices before he asked to speak with the heads of the houses in his office and dismissed them. 

Lea had gotten to dungeons after saying goodbye to Poppy and Hagrid, who luckily decided not to hug her. She doubted she could cope with gamekeepers bone crushing hugs at the moment. 

Her hand was around the handle when she heard footsteps, she opened the door and looked down the corridor only to see the purple turban of Quirrell as he came into view. She was surprised as he smiled at her and walked up to her to greet her, the wafting fumes of garlic unsettled her stomach as he came closer.

“Quirinus, what brings you down here so late?” Lea asked, smiling back at him, hoping she would find out the reasoning to his behaviour the past few days. He handed her a purple book with an image of a sea serpent hidden behind swaying coral.  Mysteries of the magical depths and other magical curiosities from shallow waters by Gregory Ward.

“A-A g-gift I meant to give to y-you at the r-reception” he answered and Lea smiled back at him.

“Thank you, I was looking into testing coral again sometime soon” Lea told him, _ it was best to be as cordial as possible with him.  _

“G-Good, I w-was surprised Ollivander d-didn’t show,” Quirrell said. 

“He had a family emergency that evening and the wedding was very short notice, Gregorovitch couldn’t attend either. I’m quite eager to work with  Hebridean Black heartstrings that Ollivander got me and the new wand carving tools Gregorovitch sent” Lea explained and Quirrell nodded. “I was quite lucky to get those, the MacFusty clan does not sell the heartstrings to anyone but renowned wand makers.”

“I-I wanted t-to ask about y-your other g-g-grandfather, I know about y-your other family members b-but not him” Quirrell asked and Lea gave him an uncertain smile to hide the wall that just went down but she didn’t need to as without her noticing someone had glided into earshot of them.

“Why’s that Quirinus? Isn’t that question a bit too personal to ask, my wife” Severus asked him, his tone was stern and his eyes seemed to have drawn a curtain over what he was truly feeling.

“I-I meant n-n-no offense, Severus. J-Just curious” Quirrell answered, his demeanour became more fidgety as his face went pale as a sheet. “I-I-I met Martha before she p-passed and Irene is a m-mystery to me.”

“Well, it’s a delicate subject. I rather not be asked about a man I never met nor my grandmother would take kindly about being asked about the man who abandoned her before my mother was even born” Lea answered, her tone strained and she saw Severus’s eyes narrow at this,  _ he thinks she said too much _ but she wanted the excuse to not talk about ‘him’ again. 

She didn’t think he would drop it otherwise.

She noticed what seemed to be a flicker of anger in Quirrell’s eyes before nodding and saying a quick apology before leaving them as fast he could.

Severus was dangerously silent as they made their way inside, locking the door and entering his office.

“I know. Before you start. If it’s genuine curiosity which I doubt, he should drop the subject entirely” Lea said quickly before he could begin to lecture her. “Opening my hand a little, all though risky. It is an easy way to try and have him show his.”

She turned to see him focusing on keeping his breath steady as his eyes flashed dangerously. 

“He’s been ignoring me up until now, but chooses to show up when you're not around. I have to suspect his intentions and why he didn’t give us the book earlier, such as at breakfast” Lea continued and Severus’s face twisted into something foul. “Ella’s not safe in the forest and there’s something in the castle, now he asks about grandfather.”

“You will stay away from him…” he began, his voice low and commanding as he walked up to her.

“I have every intention of doing so and using the fact he backs off when you are around to our advantage” she answered and his shoulders dropped a little. “Do you think he knows who he is?”

He paused and regarded her for a moment. “Most likely suspects, I had to be told by Albus that there was even a relation” he said as his breath began to become more steady.

“Well at least I can take comfort. I'm nothing like the Dark Lord or at least don’t have his more obvious traits” Lea mused and he nodded without hesitation. 

“Me too, Lea...me too”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sorting should be next next chapter and will likely be a long one.  
> I’m liking my new strategy I choose for this fic compared to my others, I’m finding it easier to spot things quicker and evaluate what I’m writing.  
> Also loving the research I’ve been doing and will be looking forward to applying wand lore to different dragons.


	5. Beginning of the year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To read about the most hated teacher is having a family is worrying but it's a more terrifying thing to hear the Headmaster congratulating them for it

She had wondered how long this could continue for, Rita had published another article soon after the report and statements had been made public. It talked about Severus’s time as a Death Eater and him being pardoned for his part being a spy for Dumbledore. 

What happened next was to be expected, Rita had gone through private court documents for her scoop and revealed them to the public and in doing so risking Severus’s position. What made it worse she suggested that she would be performing an article on the Dumbledore family and then the Alder’s. 

She shuddered at the thought, the last they wanted was articles about both sides of her family to be published for it wasn’t just her grandfather, who was the only dark secret the family kept, it was her uncle Wulfric’s.  _ He had dealt with enough. _

Albus had taken legal action along with the Ministry against Rita and the Prophet leading to some fines and an interview with Lea and Severus. Rita was put on temporary suspension afterwards, If she did anything else she would be without a job and hit with more legal action.

Having Rita do the interview was her great uncle’s way of dismissing the majority of accusations with ease, though there would be still a few who would still believe them.

It had been reasonably quiet the past few days, aside Severus pouncing on her like a wild animal every chance he could get. _ Not that she could complain. _

The factor she didn’t have to hide her heritage from him was refreshing and he seemed to enjoy having his mark out without an adverse reaction. 

They had moved a lot of her stuff to the side, apart from what she immediately needed so they could focus on moving his personal lab equipment into storage. She had seen the moments he would pause to look at them for extended moments of time and her heart went out to him as she packed away her wand carving tools. 

_ There's got to be a better way this. _

She sighed as she looked around the new nursery, the walls painting green and a new grey carpet on the once stone floor. A white crib at the far right with a changing station next to it. A toy chest and small bookshelf full of baby books and toys for their son was on the left. A small play pen was in the large space they had left, which they also had in the living room and office. 

They even had a crib in the office and living room as well as the expected bedroom. 

Severus was putting up the final touch, a snake mobile that had several varieties of serpents dangling it. 

_ They will both have to get rid of some of their things. It’s not the little one’s fault, they wouldn’t have space regardless with their combined belongings. _

“What do you think?” Severus asked, now finished hanging the mobile up, she smiled.

“It’s very us, at this rate they will know the names of every serpent by eight” Lea answered and he walked up to her, wrapping his hands around her waist to pull her close. She put a hand on his chest. “Not here, husband.”

“Never dream of it” he growled and brought his lips to hers before looking up at her with a wicked grin. “Though I didn’t hear a no to elsewhere...but we have a trip to make before we go to the last lunch together.”

Lea snorted. “You make it sound like your last meal before execution” Lea told him and he nodded.

“Feels like it...but I’m not the only one who feels that way, for you see every head of house will be woken up at some point tonight. Leaving all of us grumbling at our mugs in the morning. Minerva is the worst after the first night” Severus began to explain while leading her out to a now mostly tidy living room. She looked at him and saw a knowing glint in his eye. “You’ll see, just you wait. I’m also looking forward to this.”

She kept her mouth shut as he led her through their quarters and into the mostly normal office. 

Not a creepy jar or alchemical instrument to be found, his personal cupboard had been moved next to his desk, emptied of ingredients and filled with medical supplies, then locked.

It was mostly books and folders in bookshelves on his side of the office, aside from the crib next to his desk. The playpen was in the corner where the cupboard and pensieve used to be. The table for detentions had been moved further away with all the new space there was.

They went through into the classroom and she noticed a new door on the other side of the room.

He smiled and led them inside to see Albus, Filius, Pomona and Minerva putting the last few touches to room. Her mouth dropped and she heard a chuckle behind her.

“Amazing isn’t it? Seeing everyone coming together for one goal” Severus told her as she looked around the room in amazement. There were workbenches on her far left with Severus potions equipment with shelves and boxes of ingredients. A large curtain was being fitted by Albus that could be used to separate what looked like wood working benches to the right side of the room and Severus’s equipment to the left. Shelves and boxes of materials for wand making were on her side of the room.

There were two sets of doors on the wall in front of her, one on each side of the workshop.

“Storage rooms, separate for our uses. I told Albus what we were doing for space and well everyone wanted help, to make certain that you feel welcome” Severus explained and Lea’s eyes watered from joy, he planted a kiss on her cheek. “Reminds me of what we did for Sinistra and her husband.”

“Thank you...I don’t have words” Lea managed to say, there was a universal chuckle as they all looked towards the couple.

“Yes, well. We will pay it forward” Severus answered and the other teachers nodded.

“Of course” Lea said immediately, there were a number of chuckles in response. She could already think of what she could make for the next teacher or staff member needing alterations to their accommodations. 

“Just don’t go overboard, past years we’ve had to put some contributions straight into storage” Filius informed her, she nodded. “Even if you're still in training, a wand maker at the school will be an extremely helpful addition to the school, incompatible second hand wands, students sitting on wands...the list goes on. We've had a few over the years that we have tried to discuss replacements for wands for...only to have issues with hearing.”

“I can evaluate their wands, in a safe environment with breakable objects that you don’t mind losing and put it into wand maker terms what is wrong. As for replacements, after I’m up to par, I will have to work out a way to test their compatibility with the materials I have without having parents getting spooked by the ‘old way of doing so” Lea explained, the answer itself seemed to light up his expression immensely. “But in the meantime, until Poppy says no. I’m more than willing to use the time Severus has given me to take them to Ollivanders.”

“Perfect! I was almost worried you might leave us soon enough, to start your own shop” he piped up happily, beaming at her. She swore she could see them almost welling up. 

“I want to be the best wand maker I can be but doesn’t mean I need to start a shop to do so, besides my wands would be of immediate use here” Lea replied, the answer seemed acceptable to the other teachers as well.

“What if you outperform Ollivander himself?” Severus suggested, his eyes shining mischievously. 

“Priority to students and staff. I may work for family in my spare time but if students started requesting my wands as their first and hopefully final wands. Then a system would need to be in place, need before want of course” Lea suggested and Albus nodded.

“I’m sure Ollivander and the Ministry can accept that, who knows the Ministry may increase our funding and you can eventually take on a student or two” Albus said, stroking his beard.

“One step at a time, besides they always find an excuse not to,” Severus warned him and Albus nodded.

“We’ve always found a way to get by, but I myself have always seen potential for improvement” he answered before turning back to Lea. “I think it’s time for lunch, my dear. Best not tire yourself before tonight, regardless how tempting it is to work in your new room.”

“Yes, I almost forgot the girls will want to refer to you now for ‘their problems’. We will have to go through the book, where everything else is and protocol after lunch” Severus grumbled as they headed down for lunch, as he refused to look at her as he led her out.

Lunch was a quiet one, as everyone was either there eating or making last minute preparations for the horde of students that would come barrelling through the castle doors. 

What happened afterwards was awkward to say the very least, each head of house had a book of students details that would edit automatically and would add the details of students that had been sorted into their respective house. 

The elves had their own for allergies and dietary requirements.

It wasn’t uncommon for a head of house to have to deal with a student asking ‘certain questions’ if their parents hadn’t informed them, male teachers commonly sent female students off to the current matron in the hospital wing and had female prefects show younger students where their supplies were if they didn’t have someone else there to do so. 

The talk about safety and information involving ‘that’, was done by Poppy herself in stages. The less said about it, the better.

It wasn’t too uncommon for the wifes of Slytherin heads or rare female Slytherin heads of house in the past, to answer these uncomfortable questions, since they were female and of a position of some form of authority. 

This was due to some old ways of thinking remaining and certain households just letting the school handle it, expecting them to put additional importance on waiting till marriage. 

_ It was going to be a long night. _

Lea had been sat between Minerva and Severus for dinner. 

She had been so deep in thought she hadn’t noticed Quirrell until he, to their annoyance, took the empty seat next to Severus, hesitantly. Unfortunately there was nowhere else for him to sit. 

She looked away and went to grab Severus’s hand for comfort but he pulled it away to her disappointment. 

He appeared to be his usual grumpy self again as the returning students entered the hall to take their places. Guarded and ever watching,  _ did he think he would appear weak and be mocked for openly showing affection? _

Then she felt the lightest touch on her arm and he pulled away. _ He wanted to _ .

She then saw the looks the students were giving her, then felt his hand on hers, under the table. He rubbed the back of her hand but kept his interactions with her hidden.

“Just wait until they realise I’m just evil as you are” she joked and there was a straggled snort from him as he tried not to laugh. “It’s true, I steal your pudding all the time.” She mockingly whined and his lips were now twitching.

“I let you have my pudding, there's a difference. You look so forlorn when told you can’t have another” he told her and Albus chuckled.

“You see that’s what makes it worse husband, I trick you into giving me your pudding. There's no crime my great uncle thinks worse of than pudding theft” Lea continued and Severus raised a brow at her.

“If that’s true dear, then only one slice of cake tonight” Severus said, his lips still twitching as she pretended to pout. 

“But I’m too adorable to only have one slice” Lea pretended to whine and he was having to cough to cover up his body’s reaction to try to laugh. This when she went for the final blow and whispered in his ear. “And I’m always thankful afterward.”

It was a sight to be seen as he went stark red and hid behind his hair.

She smiled as her eyes shone in victory and she felt his breath on her neck as whispered in her ear. “If you're so evil, perhaps you need to be punished.”

Her cheeks then rivalled the redness that had been in her husband’s face and he let a small chuckle, knowing full well he had won this round. 

The students had finally all been seated as she wondered how she would prove she wasn’t under a potion, doing so directly would just cause them to suspect something was wrong even more...maybe just waiting it out until common sense took hold... _ but even she didn’t have much as a student. _

Then she noticed McGonagall enter the hall again with the new students with wondrous looks on their faces as they looked at the enchanted ceiling and floating candles. 

They stopped in front of the hat and she wondered if the hat would have a new song for them, the rip near it’s brim started moving and the looks of the first years made it all worthwhile.

There the applause, followed by the bowing of the hat to each of the four house tables before it became motionless after a while.

McGonagall stood in front of them and called each student one by one to sit under the hat.

She remembered sitting under the hat herself and all the eyes on her, more so for being a Dumbledore and the looks of surprise as she was ushered to Slytherin house table. Her fellow year Slytherins had no idea how to react at first but just left her be, since her great uncle was headmaster. Some did try to use the situation to their advantage and she had a few Gryffindors trying to coax her back to her ‘true house’.

That notion was ridiculous in itself, considering her blood and the hat was certain of its choice. 

_ As she was. _

Lea continued watching as the names were called and each student made their way to their fellow housemates.

It was Draco’s turn and Severus's lips curled into a smile as the hat barely touched the boy’s head before yelling Slytherin. To say Severus was prideful would be an understatement as he clapped alongside Lea, to congratulate the new Slytherin. 

It wasn’t long until his smile dropped after the last few students, when the boy of the hour sat under the hat. His eyes were blank and emotionless as they waited for the hat to make a decision. 

She was surprised that the hat didn’t just yell Gryffindor in the same proximity as his head as Draco’s sorting,  _ what house was the hat debating with the boy about? _

The boy did seem to be in deep and conflicted thought while the hat questioned him .

It finally roared Gryffindor and the table erupted loudly, it was the biggest cheer yet. She heard ‘we got Potter!’ amongst the cheering and her eyes flickered to the twins at Gryffindor house table. The Weasleys, she didn’t know the family well but she was in the same year as Charlie and they shared some of their classes. 

Aside from her parents having until recently worked on the same floor as their father, she didn’t know much about them apart from Arthur being a cheery fellow with a lot of questions. 

The last few students were sorted, including another Weasley. If her memory was correct they have a sister that was yet to attend Hogwarts.

McGonagall finished calling out names, then rolled up her scroll and took away the hat. 

As she sat down next to Lea, Albus stood up. “Welcome!” he announced happily, his face was warm and he opened his arms up to welcome them all. “Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!....Thank you!”

He sat back down as they applauded him and Lea just clapped her hands while her face spread into an awkward smile, knowing how odd her great uncle was. 

The plates filled to the halls delight, mouth watering slices of meat such as roast beef, roast chicken, roast gammon, pork chops, lamb chops and any meat you could think of. The potatoes and vegetables looked divine.

Some Yorkshire puds, roast potatoes, carrots, sweetcorn and peas made their way onto her plate before she could even reach for them as she saw Severus smiling down at her as he knowingly helped her fill her plate. She moved a roast parsnip to her plate to his surprise and approval before going for roast gammon and chicken, coupled with pigs in blanket and brown gravy.

She was in heaven as the tender carrots were decently sliced so they weren't too chucky or too thin. She sliced and dealt with the sharp sweet taste of the parsnip. The peas and sweetcorn were next to go, to Severus’s smiles of approval. Roast potatoes were crispy and soft in the centre.

She added some stuffing to her plate after eating the two Yorkshire puds and went through the roast meats with the stuffing while her stomach sang. Then finished by taking down the pigs in blanket. 

She was in food heaven and she would fight to stay there.

Before she could think of getting more meat, dessert replaced dinner to her mixed disappointment and joy. She realised her stomach barely had any room left but she decided to grab a banana and yogurt for a little later while drinking some water.

She was a  glutton and she knew it but she had limits.

“Not having the chocolate forest gateau, dear?” Albus chimed in seeing the absence of a sugary dessert on her plate.

“I have my limits uncle, not everyone can burn off the sugar as fast as you” Lea answered and Minerva let out a small chuckle while Albus just shrugged before grabbing himself a treacle tart.

Lea caught Severus watching her as he was partaking in the gateau, she smiled at him and withheld the urge to kiss his cheek for his sanity. 

She looked around as she decided now to go for the yogurt now that her palette was clean of the taste of gravy. She saw the Potter boy looking around the staff table and then his gaze met hers only for him to clutch his head in pain to her confusion when his eyes moved to Quirrell. 

She looked towards Quirrell who had the back of his turban facing away from the students as he tried talking to Severus while ignoring her.

“Severus, is it possible to perform certain arts without looking or pointing?” she whispered in his ear, while hiding the activation of the muffliato charm under the table. She uncast the spell as soon as she finished whispering. 

He did not show anything as he snorted before going back to dessert. 

“Oh, come Severus. I doubt they would say no” Lea pretended to whine and an amused smirk twisted across his face. “I mean I love their food, so do you. Why can’t I ask about what they did to the parsnips this time? Also the gateau looks like a new recipe.”

“Go right ahead, dear. I won’t stop you, this gateau is divine” Severus purred in her ear, his eyes shining with a knowing glint. “We can cook it together.”

Lea’s eyes lit up to his amusement, before she could start making other suggestions on what they could cook, he tilted his head to Albus to get her to pay attention.

Albus rose from his chair grabbing the hall's attention. He started with the beginning of term notices, along with a warning about the forbidden forest where his eyes twinkled towards the twins.

It was after the warning about the third floor that he asked her and Severus to rise. “I also wish to congratulate our Professor Severus Snape and my great niece Lea Dumbledore on their recent marriage…”

There was loud cheering from the Slytherin house table and the staff table but the other house tables were silent. Until the twins booed only to catch Albus’s stern gaze, a chill ran down her spine from just a side glance of the look he gave them. 

The other house tables aside from Gryffindor table now hesitantly clapped, few Gryffindors did try to clap but got shot glares from their housemates. 

The hall quieted down and Albus continued “I also want to congratulate them for their current pregnancy…” 

The Slytherin house table was louder this time and gave looks to Gryffindor house, as they remained silent and refused to clap. Minerva looked like her lips were going to disappear as she watched them, as the rest of the staff supported the couple along with her. 

The other two houses clapped but it was clear that the news terrified some of them. 

There were students that looked like the world had just ended before them and they wanted to be swallowed by the earth itself. 

Severus and Lea sat down. Albus looked displeased but continued to ask them all to get ready to sing. It was a song of his own creation, after all his predecessor would never have allowed such a tune to be sung in these halls.

Severus was silent but his eyes looked like he was ready to fight anyone who dared questioned their marriage. 

The students were dismissed in a cheery manner like usual but it was clear to anyone who knew him, he was infuriated by his own house. 

The students left while chatting in droves. 

_ Why did he have to do that? What did he even expect to happen? Most of them hated her husband. _

The rest of the staff left quickly, Minerva quicker than most after giving Albus a quick nod. The both of them waited, seemingly for Albus’s approval for them to leave.

_ She did not want to be there for Minerva’s lecture. _

“Lea, do you know why I did so despite the obvious fact that there would be some pushback?” Albus asked and he looked back at them, his flowery deamour gone for a very tired expression on his face.

“To not do so would prove suspicion and show lack of support for our marriage” Lea answered.

He nodded slowly and replied “Correct, remember that. Remember despite others' opinion of you both, I support you and there is nothing to be ashamed of. That acting as there is such will only prove them right in their minds.”

She smiled. “Thank you uncle.”

“No, thank you. Dear. Now off to bed the both of you, the next few days will be tiring enough” he said, returning her smile.

  
  


* * *

  
  


She had found herself pleasantly unsurprised that evening with it ending with Severus grasping her hips and pounding her from behind, only to gasp moments later as he filled her.

He held her in place so she could take every thick string of cum he had.

He helped her down after and cleaned them up before pulling her to his chest. She felt her eyelids grow heavy and let herself fall asleep in his embrace. 

It wasn’t until she felt a tugging sensation that she awoke with him, she clicked her fingers and her green nightgown was summoned onto her body. She got her fluffy grey slippers and put on her green dressing gown, she didn’t care that her hair looked like she had gone through a bush.

They woke them up, it’s their problem. 

Once they reached the office, she sat down in his desk chair and summoned his book on the students as he gave the Prefect permission to enter through the painting of the ship at sea.

Out popped an older red haired girl with freckles with three younger girls, one was clutching a white pillow in fright with blonde hair. Another was a dark haired looking girl, she was glaring at the floor and the third also had brown hair shifting uncomfortably.

Lea without thinking summoned four chairs for them in front of the desk as Severus went to grab the biscuit tin. She flipped through the book and noted that the whole first year had no qualms with what their children were told, just as long as they stayed with the right sort and focused on their studies. 

“Mrs.Snape, I’m dying...” the blonde girl started crying, rushing to her and not dropping the pillow from the front of her. “I need to see a healer, the bleeding won’t stop.”

What happened next was one of the most awkward few moments of her life as she explained to the first year the basics of menstruation, while Daphne Greengrass munched on a dragon snap. They gave her a small pain potion, some vanishing pads and one of the prepared small books Severus had for ‘these situations’ when he couldn’t send them to Poppy.

The brown haired student named Anne Runcorn needed the same pads but didn’t know how to ask for them. Tracey Davis was upset at two other girls for stealing her favourite quill and hiding her other possessions for being half blood.

It was a very early morning for them and they were brought a few more students from the boys dorm to sort out.  _ No wonder Severus was always grumpy _ , if he was constantly being awoken in the early hours of the morning. 

It was breakfast before they knew it and they groggily sat at the staff table as Severus nursed his tea. 

Luckily the students hadn’t arrived yet. 

“Survived the first night I see” Albus chuckled and Lea looked up at him in disapproval before tucking into her eggs. She couldn’t deal with his chipperness this morning but the food was a more easy to accept companion that morning as she was certain all four heads of house could agree.

Minerva looked the worst out of all of them and looked like she was ready to fight anyone that morning. 

They did not dare ask why.

“How did yours go?” Filius asked, nursing his tea and looking the grumpiest she had ever seen him. 

She had never seen him grumpy or tired for that matter.

“One thought they were dying,” Severus said, refusing to look up from his plate.

“They always do,” Filius answered, Pomona just nodded silently as McGonagall continued eating. “Severus...I understand they don’t know better but it gets harder and harder to not just run through a list each time to get the right answer from them. They could ask Prefects or older students on small matters but no they want you to do it. All while you need them to come to you when they actually need you.”

“Then there's essays, detention added on to classes. We need additional funding and then there’s always the fool that appears in those funding meetings saying we would give you more money but we’re paying for your families to stay with you at the school” Albus interjected, getting several mumbles of agreement from the others. “How do they expect the teachers to spend almost the entire year here and not disappear on weekends to visit their families?...nonsense. I keep telling them if they want that to change, then an additional teacher and stopping the complaints on what teachers do on weekends…”

Lea stopped and looked at him to look like a deer in headlights, Albus sighed when he saw her expression.

“Ah, you don’t know...I may be in charge, set wages and hire staff but I can only work within our budget and regulations set on us. The Ministry is difficult to say the least, constantly questioning about spending and actions of staff” Albus explained and there were a few grumbles from members of staff. “I once got questioned about an end of year party we had for staff at the three broomsticks, asking if that was a necessary expense. When I said, I paid for it. They suggested tightening the staff budget.”

“We can’t take donations above a certain amount, otherwise they cut funding and we can’t ask for a bigger budget without submitting to their restrictions. So we invest in little things to help the school in the long run and help each other out” Filius continued and the rest were paying attention to them now. “We take non monetary donations such as bezoars from your grandfather, the occasional ingredients from your uncle in emergencies when we can’t grow enough. We have large parts of the school, no student will ever see where we grow most of our food and have livestock.”

“We are judged based on performance not time working, I only take students with Outstandings in Potions for my advanced classes because there is a high drop off rate for those with lower. It’s been that way, long before I took over and will likely continue long afterwards” Severus added, Lea had thought it was just because he was strict and wanted perfection. “They will argue and say you are not needed when there’s Ollivander’s to buy their wands from.”

“Maybe Lea can start her work earlier” Minerva finally spoke up, as the students started entering the hall to finally start eating. “I will say it now, I have no doubt you can give Severus the much needed help he needs but you will be a distraction.”

“That bad, Minerva?” Pomona asked and Minerva nodded.

“Stay away from the twins whatever you do. Those trouble makers are bound to try something soon enough” she continued and Severus paused for a moment as they saw the looks they were getting. 

“This morning and double potions Thursday morning” Severus said out loud for Lea to hear. “Stay away from class during then and I will get you from the workshop when fifth years are due to start. Just avoid anything sharp.”

“Severus didn’t you hear?” Minerva began, her face turning red in anger.

“I did and they will be distracted regardless if she’s there or not. I’m not giving them a chance to tell me I’m drugging or imprisoning my wife, even though that woman admitted she was publishing slander against my family!” Severus snapped and Minerva went to argue but Albus stopped her.

“We know Severus. We know” Albus said softly, they both stayed in their corners as the headmaster continued. “I also have a plan, I will be taking fifth years today with Lea. You can take that time off, to calm down after dealing with the twins today.”

“What will you be teaching, Albus?” Minerva asked, her face returning to a healthy shade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I admit I was hungry when I wrote part of this.  
> I've been thinking a lot of how Hogwarts works and did some more research...yes apparently the Ministry pays for students to attend.  
> I hope you are all well


	6. A Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when Albus makes a plan

There was a crash, yells and screaming in the classroom next door as Lea bottled up her potions in the workshop with Albus. It had been a lie, she was teaching and he was going to stay to keep her from being overwhelmed.

She knew Albus was up to something and she was going along for the ride, he seemed to expect her choice of potion for this lesson instead of the draught of peace that Severus had originally had planned. 

She wanted to go out and help but she knew better. That the twins were causing havoc and going in there would escalate the problems Severus was having now. They finished bottling everything up and boxed them away, ready to bring it all into the class. She picked up Severus’s book with his recipe for health potions just in time for the door to open to the main article himself standing with green sludge covering his robes and a putrid stench coming from the classroom only for the door to slam. 

She could not tell what he was feeling right now, though she was certain it wasn’t good.

“I’m cancelling Potions classes today, that classroom is unusable in its current state and will take a while before…” Severus began, his voice was low as his eyes avoided hers.

“Give me five minutes,” Albus said and rushed into the classroom, bringing in more of the stench, making her gag a little.

Severus tried vanishing the gunk on his robes but it multiplied to their horror.

“How?” Lea asked only to catch a glance of his blinding rage shining in his eyes as he continued to avoid looking at her. He was cursing under his breath and rushing to take a jarred sample of the gunk on his robes.

“Don’t know yet and I actually doubt it’s going to take five minutes. What is he planning?” Severus answered as he examined the cauldrons she was about to clean up but he used his left hand to stop her.

“He taught my father and uncle. It most likely will take less and he’ll be able to set up as well” Lea said, he raised his head from the station to look at her perplexed. 

“They were that bad,” he asked and she nodded. He returned to the station and started testing the slime, only to instantly grumble as the door opened to Albus from a classroom that’s smell didn’t make her want to gag. “Water.”

“Yes. You can dissolve it with water” Albus replied, before walking to the box that Severus was eyeing sceptically. “What happened aside from the slime and dung bombs?”

“Tell you at lunch, what are you planning?” Severus asked, before looking at Lea concerned.

“Tell you at lunch” Albus replied to Severus’s annoyance as he took the box and opened the door for Lea. 

He closed the door behind them.

It didn’t take long to set up and the students started to pile in, taking note of Albus’s presence immediately. Once they all seemed to be there, Lea took the register.

“Before you ask, I will be taking this class today instead of my husband and our headmaster has graciously decided to observe our lesson considering Professor Snape is unavailable at the moment” Lea began and a hand shot up. “Yes...Miss Clearwater?”

Lea had to double check the list and with the girl’s instant answer she knew she had been correct in identifying the Ravenclaw. 

“Why is Professor Snape not available?” she asked.

“I’m sure you can guess who was in this classroom before you fifth years” Lea answered, the girl paused before nodding. She noticed who she assumed to be Percy Weasley turning pink in embarrassment with a flicker of anger in his eyes. “I’m sure you are aware of the rumors but I’m one for a more practical approach with the situation and have decided that this lesson I will be teaching you all how to detect illicit substances for yourselves.”

There was muttering amongst the class.

“Now I’m sure you can all create a antidote from Professor Snape’s fear inducing methods but can any of you tell me why you can’t just give any antidote to a potential victim?” Lea asked clearly and loud enough to grab their attention. 

Clearwater raised her hand immediately, Lea nodded. “Because you may be wrong and give them the wrong antidote, some poisons react differently to certain antidotes and some antidotes become toxic if the subject is not poisoned.” 

“Correct, 5 points to Ravenclaw,” Lea said and smiled at the girl, who seemed surprised at the development. “Now what's the best way to identify if someone has taken a form of illicit substance?”

Weasley was faster this time, she nodded to him.

“Aside from physical reaction to the substance, a health potion can identify most substances but some poisons will have killed the victim in the time it takes to use one”

“Correct, 5 points to Gryffindor” Lea said and she noticed an instant shift in the room. “In most cases observation and having a bezoar always on hand, tends to work with most poisons or at least buy the victim some time while you identify it.”

She then revealed five full vials on the table in front of her, next to her cauldron. There was a bottle of health potion and seven empty vials next to it. 

“Now I am displaying the reactions to five substances that a health potion is best used in detecting and two other examples of a reaction the potion can have” she explained, she then turned to Albus. “Headmaster, if you mind.”

Albus took the empty vials and his wand to extract a drop of blood from his right hand index finger to drop in six of the empty vials. 

She took five of the vials and put a drop from the potions she had, into them before pouring the health potion into six of them.

She corked them and shook them before pouring her own vial of health potion to perform the test on herself.

“Now what we have here today, a standard love potion, Veritasium, forgetfulness potion, Heaven's Delight and the elixir to induce euphoria” she continued, holding the pink vial, then a clear potion then the orange. A purple one and then the yellow one. “Now the reaction will be faster than the usual five minutes, considering we applied these potions directly onto a drop of blood but their colours will be the same.”

She seemed to have their full attention and Albus’s presence seemed to be keeping them from asking something they shouldn’t. 

“Now I assume you know what a love potion does, but it doesn’t create real love, only a dangerous obsession making the drinker sometimes appear pale and sickly. They can be excitable and extremely unstable but can any of you tell me why it is impossible to counter the detection of a love potion with a health potion?” 

The class was silent.

“No, it is because of the way the potion works. It causes a chemical reaction in the body that induces those feelings of obsession. A lesser reaction that makes the drinker even see the provider as merely palatable is still detectable by a health potion” 

They took notes immediately. 

She waited a bit before continuing “now can anyone tell me about why you would need to detect the others?”

Weasley's hand rose instantly and she asked him to speak.

“Veritasium forces you to tell the truth without concern for your own will or how dangerous the information is. Heaven’s Delight...is a hallucinogenic drink. Stronger forgetfulness potions can make you forget crucial information for long periods of time and the elixir to induce euphoria can be abused to feel...good all the time aside the negative long time effects” he explained, albeit hesitantly on the Heaven’s Delight and the elixir to induce euphoria.

“Correct, 10 points to Gryffindor” Lea said and indicated to the vials in front of her. Purple for the love potion, blue for the Veritasium and black for the Heaven’s Delight. Green for the forgetfulness potion and yellow for the elixir to induce euphoria.

The basics on avoiding Illicit substances are covered in one of Poppy’s end of fourth year talks, which makes it easier to lead into health potions and other important potions that are covered fifth year onwards. 

Their eyes were on Albus’s and Lea’s potion. White for healthy and pink for pregnant. 

“As you can see, health potions have another more common use. For detecting pregnancy days after conception” Lea explained, there were a few shocked faces among them. She raised a brow at them. “Now I am going to show you all how to create a health potion and go through each step. So that you will be able to create it in another lesson with your books, now get a good view and be ready to take notes.”

She spent the whole time answering questions on why she was doing things a certain way and other uses and colours a health potion could have. 

One thing she was certain of was that she was glad she had Ravenclaw instead of Slytherin for the lesson with Gryffindor. The rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor would have caused issues with the current situation. 

She set them homework on the history of health potions, their uses and colours as well as their opinions on the subject.

Clearwater and Weasley stayed behind to her surprise.

“Mrs Snape, I don’t want to be rude but I wanted to ask. How did you end up with Snape?” she asked, _it was bound to happen soon enough._

“Potions. My work may be in wand making but potions found their way into my work. We bumped into each other after I graduated and talked, he liked my use of potions as a bonding agent for my wands” Lea explained and Clearwater seemed to brighten up with her answer. “We kind of just happened.”

“That’s far better than what the others have been saying,” Clearwater said, she appeared disappointed. “But that means this lesson was a rare occurrence.”

“Yes, I will help on occasion but Professor Snape is the one who specialised in potions. I can only do so much but I hope to finish learning my craft to become the Hogwarts personal wand maker” Lea explained and she saw Weasley pause for a moment in thought.

“First I want to apologise for my brothers” Weasley began, the colour drained from his face. But he continued nevertheless. “I also need to ask something, would it cost much to have a wand to be made for my brother Ron?”

“It would cost nothing but time, I need to test a new system on custom making wands since some parents would not act fondly to the old way to determine what type of wand is needed” Lea answered without hesitation, she caught Albus’s smile at this. 

“My mum included. I read you're related to the Alder’s, they were Druidic in origin?” he asked and she nodded. “Could you write to her first and test his wand, so she knows why?”

“I can do that” 

“Thank you...could you apologise to Snape for me?” he asked, just as the workshop door opened to Severus in clean robes.

“For your brothers? What point would there be in that Mr Weasley? Just make sure they attend their detentions” Severus answered as he walked across the room to Lea. The boy nodded and Clearwater left with him. “You did well, Lea...Though I don’t approve of you lying to me Albus or putting my wife on the spot like that.”

Albus did not budge as Lea started to clean up. “I would have told you…” she began but Severus shook his head.

“Short notice? I know. We can discuss the matter later” he interrupted as he helped her clean up.

Albus got up to leave. “Will you two be joining us for lunch?” he asked.

“No, I don’t think we will. We have a lot to talk about and plan for” Severus answered, giving Lea a stern look.

“I have to agree, the twins caused this much fuss in their first lesson of the year. I hate to see what they will do at lunch” Lea agreed with him and Albus closed the door behind him.

“Molly will tear your ear off. She’s one of the parents Filius had trouble with” he said immediately and Lea frowned.

“Doesn’t mean I won’t try. I’ll examine Ron’s wand and make note of everything. Then have him hold different cores and woods to see their reactions then I will write to her. She says no, I’ll have a wand hopefully on standby for when it becomes a problem she can’t ignore” Lea explained and he groaned.

“She’ll say no but I see your reasoning. Might as well keep your word and test your theory so this situation can be of some use” he grumbled, his eyes then narrowed. “You gave 15 points to Gryffindor.”

“Yes, I did. Our house can make up the difference easily. Besides one good thing came out of it” Lea said and he raised a brow with scepticism. “No brainwashed wife of yours would ever do such a thing...nor would they be bad enough to suggest we take my punishment to the office.”

* * *

  
  


She spent her time working in their workshop for the rest of the week, while helping Severus clean up in the evenings. She had managed to make another wand, Willow 14 inches and unyielding. With a unicorn hair core.

It had a curved pummel at the end making it easier to grip, she had seen a similar wand in Ollivander’s shop but it the it had more wood carved out between the end pummel and the rest of the wand, giving most of the wand a much more darker shade compared to the pummel.

Both were different from her 12 inch Willow and slightly yielding, unicorn hair wand. It had curved lines running down it, simple but elegant. 

It wasn’t until Thursday afternoon that she brought the first set students to have their wands examined. They found an empty classroom with a target for them to aim at, the other five had gone before and had their wands examined. 

Longbottom’s had blown up the target and spooked the group, she then took his wand as Filius replaced the target for the last test of the week.

“Spruce 13 inches, dragon heartstring. Flexible” she said clearly as she examined Longbottom’s wand or what should have been. She did not want to be the one who told the boy that his temperament was ill matched for a Spruce wand. Spruce was known for liking good humored and bold wizards, while being dangerous in fumbling ones. “Spruce wands are intensely loyal to their owners”

“It was...my dad’s” he answered hesitantly, but something shone in his eyes...a fierceness...a want even. 

“That is why it is special to you and will remain to be so. It’s understandable why you want to wield his wand but it understands as you will in time that you need to find your own means to work towards your future to create your own path” Lea began, handing the wand back to him was a small apologetic smile. 

“Your going to make me use another wand,” he said, looking mournfully at the wand.

“I’m afraid so Mr Longbottom, I’ll be personally writing to Augusta and explaining the circumstances but do take some time to sit while we examine Mr Weasley’s wand” Filius told the boy and he went to sit down as Percy brought his brother Ron to her. 

She pointed to the target and directed him to wave his wand at it. She was actually happy Percy had stayed to watch his brother, it would mean that they could try and convince his mother Molly on two fronts.

The wand didn’t even respond and she went to examine it. She had to control her eyes' natural impulse to turn scarlet at the sight of the very worn wand. The boy waited with great trepidation.

“Ash 12 inches, unicorn hair. Unyielding” she said, making sure the boy couldn’t see her anger. “Ash is also loyal to their owners but to a far more extreme degree, it loses power in the hands of anyone other than their true owner. It's even worse with unicorn hair. Also it’s on it’s way out with damage it has.”

She had wanted to be polite but she didn’t want room for Molly to maneuver around the issue.

“I can do some quick repairs with my skill level but it will stop working for you at some point, when I’m not certain” Lea suggested as she handed the wand back. 

“I guess we can move to the next part” Filius said quickly and gathered them around as Lea summoned a crate of boxed materials and her green notebook. It had a phoenix embossed in silver and gold on the front cover, naturally the lockable notebook was a graduation gift from Albus. 

She spent time checking the reactions she was getting from the materials when the students handled them and made notes as she went. This gave her a list of suggestions of potential wand combinations they could each have.

They dismissed the students and Filius held back to talk to her. “So will this method work?” he asked, she sighed and looked at her notes.

“The students have a lot of possible combinations, my best bet is to try to make them regardless and use the knowledge I have to narrow the lists down. But I can see myself being able to narrow them down to three possible matches each” Lea explained, looking back at the wizard. 

“I see, it will take time as does most things but you're getting some results which means we might be on the right track” Filius noted and she had to agree, with the wood and the cores reacting this way before crafting, it gave her a lot to work with. 

“I did find something interesting...Ron Weasley has a possible match to a wand I recently made, it’s not approved yet but I’m confident. At the moment I’m planning to get more of a selection of unicorn hair wands before continuing work with dragon heartstring” Lea explained and Filius’s eyes lit up.

“It goes without saying, to keep that one back. That is interesting” he said, his brow furrowed and he sighed deeply. “Let me handle the parents, just send me a letter to go along with it that has the information they need to know. I have suspicions some will kick up a fuss and I rather take the heat.”

“Thank you Filius”

“No, thank you dear. With luck the students here will be performing a lot better soon enough” he answered quickly, giving her a quick beaming smile. “Though I sympathise with Molly but she is overbearing at times and can be quick to insult. She will likely not take kindly to us ‘helping’ and think we out to get them for being poor, that if it works now she doesn’t need to worry...I suspect she’s merely reacting based on past occurrences when others have either tried to or mocked the family for their circumstances.”

“I see...Severus did warn me, that’s why I offered to do a quick repair. It should hold up for maybe a year and half then but it’s performance won’t be as it should be” Lea explained and Filius nodded.

“Better than nothing and hopefully with that wand on standby and a stock of wands available by then, it will be less of an issue when it happens” he answered and they began moving things back, ready for when they next needed the room.

* * *

  
  
She had been up all night analysing her notes and had gotten her reports done in time for letters to be sent out by morning.

It wasn’t until she was groggily eating breakfast that they got Molly’s tepid response, it was not as they expected. Not entirely good but not as bad as they expected. A few comments here and there but she could work with it.

Two parents did send howlers to both her and Filius, they were not going to just let him take the heat. They wanted the amateur wand maker who was spouting what they called ‘complete nonsense’, they wrote more elegant letters to Severus warning him of his wife’s actions...they were of course parents of Slytherins.

Sometimes her own house frustrated her to no end.

They had received thanks and permission to take the other students to get their wands to be replaced. She had not expected to receive a letter thanking her from Augusta, Neville’s grandmother, attached to Filius’s letter.

She had finished two more wands during the morning class that she had been working that week, they had decided that she would keep away from the students until they were certain they had calmed down. 

The twins had earned themselves a few months detention and Severus refused to tell her what they did or what they had said. But she could eat breakfast in the hall that morning so things were simmering down at least, the students only looked towards her when the post arrived. 

The Slytherin parents that had sent the howlers only served to embarrass their children with their behaviour. Gemma Farley more so, she was the Prefect that had brought the girls on the first night. Jenny Murton just hid behind her bushy black hair at the table.

She had finished boxing the other two wands ready for examination when there was a knock, she called out for them to enter. 

“Weasley, sit” Severus said curtly as he entered with the boy and pointed to the chair near the door. She caught a glimpse of another boy outside. Severus walked up to her and handed her the ash wand, she sighed before going to repair it.

“There is a polishing kit, near the boxes…” she began as she placed the wand on the stand to start fixing what she could. Severus took the bag before she could finish and took out his own wand to quickly teach Ron to care for his wand correctly with all the comments you could expect in between. 

“It’s core has been exposed to a lot, I’ll need to treat the end that is sticking out then fuse the bottom with a temporary topper” Lea informed them as she got out her special core painting brushes and tools. “I can do it and use my own magic to heal it up a little more to try to extend its lifespan, but it will likely take about half an hour at minimum.”

“Half an hour?” Ron spluttered as Severus scowled towards the boy. 

“Just let his friend in, to sit at least. That estimation was generous” Lea said and Severus paused before deciding to do so for her. She heard his snappy tone and in sat the messy black haired boy that still had the school buzzing about him. 

“She said half an hour” Ron told him and Potter frowned.

“Would be generous, Mr Weasley. It will be done when it’s done” Severus chided him for giving his friend potential hope of leaving earlier, to be honest with everything the wand had been exposed to...it was shocking to say the least.

As Severus left them for the next class, giving the boys a glare of warning before closing the door behind him.

“We’re going to Hagrid…” Harry started to say in hopes of rushing her to make their escape sooner. 

“Then be careful around the rock cakes, no one really has the heart to tell him that he’s a bad cook” Lea interrupted to the boy's surprise as she finished applying the core repairing paint, it glowed white for a moment and she focused on using her own magic to help the process. 

She then measured the end and went to cutting some ash wood for the end while she let the wand settle. 

It took her less than half an hour but the boys at least stayed quiet as they watched her work. 

She handed the wand back and instructed them to keep the kit. “It’ll prolong its life span a bit but you’ll need to care for it well to keep it working until your mother buys you a new one” Lea told Ron and he nodded.

“Why can’t you make one?” Harry asked, his eyes were questioning her. 

“Because Mrs Weasley made herself clear that though she’s happy to let me repair the wand, she’s not taking chances on a amateur wand maker’s wand and will be buying Mr Weasley a new one from Ollivander’s when they can” Lea explained, but with Ginny starting next year. She was sceptical he was their top priority on the budget when the wand could still perform some magic. “I’ve only had two wands approved by Ollivander so far and my recent experiments with coral show I have a long way to go.” 

She had offered Mrs Weasley to make a wand for free then have Ollivander check it before giving Ron the wand but she was adamant that she buy from Ollivander.

Potter blinked at this answer but still held suspicions of her by the look in his eyes as he rushed to leave with his friend while being careful not disturb Severus’s current class too much only to be snapped at for their current instance on leaving as soon as possible.

She didn’t get much of a chance to stop them either.

She started tidying up, she doubted she could get another wand done in time for tomorrow's trip to Ollivanders. 

The coral wasn’t working well with the bonding agents she had tried so she had to put her work with it on hold for now and continue studying the main cores and woods Ollivander used. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's getting easier writing these larger chapters than my past fics and we're slowly getting further into the main storyline.  
> I hope you are all well  
> edit: added sentence on Poppy already covering the basics on avoiding Illicit substances


	7. Mother doesn't always know best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A visit from the shop and from Eileen

Filius insisted on coming along, the Ravenclaw head wanted more knowledge on wand lore and to see if he could provide additional insight on her work for the school. 

They sat waiting for each student to test out the wands with Ollivander, who then looked through her notes and just nodded before rushing off to grab some wands that he thought would work with the information given. 

“Larch 12 inches and flexible. Dragon heartstring” he said, handing it Anne Runcorn and she waved it. It instantly let out blue sparks, causing a grin to form across Ollivander’s face.

He handed Oliver Rivers and said “Walnut 11 and half inches, sturdy. Unicorn tail hair.” The first year Ravenclaw waved his wand and a breeze swept across the room.

Next was Sally Smith. “Alder 11 inches and unyielding. Unicorn tail hair.” The young Hufflepuff gave it a wave and white sparks appeared. 

Then Neville, Lea wondered what wand would choose him since one match was the same as one of the wands she made. 

Her face dropped as Ollivander gave Neville her wand which shot red sparks immediately. “Cherry 13 inches and almost yielding. Unicorn hair” he told Neville and gave Lea a large smile. 

“In fact this is the first wand Mrs Snape had approved by me.”

“Wait, you made my wand?” Neville asked, looking towards her and she nodded. He smiled and went back to looking at his new wand.

“Cherry wands, pick owners that have a good affinity for charms and a great potential that can be obtained with hard work and determination” Lea explained and the boy’s smile widened. 

She caught the beaming smile and shine in Filius’s eyes. 

“So what about my wand?” Anne Runcorn asked excitedly, walking up to her. 

Lea’s eyes lit up and she started explaining about the wands they had as Ollivander just smiled as he watched with Filius. 

Larch wands created quite unique wands with unexpected effects and special hidden talents that could only be revealed by their owner, who likely is unaware of their true abilities until wielding it. An exceptional match that will surprise those around them and themselves.

A Walnut wand is for ones that tend to want to innovate and invent, it is highly adaptable and once under the owner’s full control will perform any task asked of it...provided that they match it’s brilliance. 

Alder likes it’s opposite, as it is a very unyielding wood. It likes owners that are helpful, considerate and likable. It works well with non verbal and more advanced magic. 

“Now you've all been introduced to your wands, I have business to discuss with Mrs Snape” Garrick insisted and Filius nodded and began gathering the students, he gave a quick look to Lea. “Not to worry I’ll ask Albus to open up his fireplace, she’ll make it back safely. I’ll make sure of it.”

As soon as they left Garrick grabbed a huge brown battered book and dropped it on the table with a thud.

“I assume you have wands to show me but this is just as important, I assume you wanted to talk about this in person from your letters but Albus explained everything. Take out something to note this down and put the wands to the side for now” he began, she took the boxes out of her bag and placed them on the counter. She then took out her green notebook ready to start writing. “Now we need to cover legal and financial matters as well as the future plan for your position to present to the Ministry.”

He opened the book and started flipping through it until he found the page he wanted.

“Right, most important things for a wand maker to remember is first time wand buyers and who your friends are. First time wand buyers from Britain and Ireland pay 7 galleons here and I get subsidised the missing amount, this due to the law on all wizards having the legal right to carry a wand. The Ministry will argue because they cover your living expenses for it to be 3 or 4 but you will argue for 5”

“5?” she repeated and he nodded.

“The Ollivander or if you continue experimenting, the Gregorovitch difference. Until I and Mykew are satisfied with your current skill we won’t sign off to say your wands don’t need approval before being sold. Chances are you will be working with Wolfe as well, but that extra galleon will make all the difference. It is the fee we will ask for approving each wand that we have experience working with and the security you need to start selling your work”

She nodded, she doubted she could sell them otherwise and she wasn’t confident she could comfortably sell her work without the knowledge of knowing they were up to standard.

“This covers you, Hogwarts and the Ministry legally. While ensuring you are up to par. We have the occasional customer who has tried to pull one on myself and other wand makers” Garrick explained, she nodded to make sure he knew she understood. “All your wands will be subsidised as the Ministry gives funds to Hogwarts and you will not be charging in cases where a student’s income is under a certain bracket. You will need to sell polishing kits and occasionally teach students to care for their wands when they come to you.”

She kept writing things down and he continued.

“Friends are the next important thing we need to cover. Some supplies are bought in bulk with a license given by the Ministry but some require you to befriend owners of unique creatures or of certain trees. You are at a major advantage here but that doesn’t mean you can get lazy in that regard, not everyone will like the idea of you entering the business. So write to Gregorovitch and start building contacts on his end, I will talk to Wolfe and build communications between you”

“Thank you, Garrick,” Lea said and he smiled.

“No, thank you. Some see you as a problem for business but I see differently, with you at Hogwarts. You will be bringing more attention to the craft, potentially training the future of it and ensuring more buy a wand rather settling with a second pairing” Garrick said and a smile spread across her lips. “Now we need to address costs and suppliers as well as the paperwork you will be needing…”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Lea returned to the office with her shoulder bag a little heavier than she left, a deep smile was on her face as she muttered the password to make the painting open to her. She entered and saw him on the sofa only for her smile to drop.

Next to him was a woman who looked slightly older than her with red bushy hair and brown eyes, with freckles. She wore a white cardigan on top of a long white flowery dress with smart white shoes.

_ A former student maybe? Best not to assume the worst. _

Though why would a former student be with Eileen? Who was sitting at the other end of the sofa. They had made themselves comfortable and made tea.

She walked up to them and put her bag down, she was about to greet them when…

“Sev, who's this?” the woman asked as she put a hand on Severus’s knee, he got up immediately after she did so to her surprise to face Lea. 

Lea’s eyes refused to not react but she did not care and she planted a kiss on Severus cheek. He did not flinch and put an arm around her waist to pull her gently to her side. “We have guests, Severus? You should have sent word that your mother was here and I would have picked up lunch before returning. They have this nice restaurant I’ve been wanting to try for a while now in Diagon Alley” Lea said, smiling down at the woman and Eileen. “Who’s this?”

The woman bit her lip and gave her a fake smile but it was clear she was up to something. Severus seemed to want to make it clear he had someone.

“This is Margaret, she’s a friend of the family. She lives not far from us, she’s in her last year of study as a healer” Eileen replied, a knowing smile on her lips. S _ he takes it back, Severus and her are nothing alike.  _ “She goes to church with us every Sunday.”

“Well, are you two hungry? I see you already have tea but you see with the baby on the way, I’m always a bit peckish” Lea asked sweetly, as Severus tightened his grip on her. She noticed Margaret’s lips strain. 

“We’re alright but go get something to eat, we can’t have you going without. We’ve been talking about your brief stint as a teacher...I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been having trouble” Margaret answered, she wasn’t referring to the class she taught but Severus being upset that she did teach. He had been restraining himself when discussing it but from how primal the sex they had been at lunch that day, was a indication he really needed to let of steam and not just because of the class before hers. 

The talk afterwards was brief. Never again and to tell Albus that he needed to be involved when it came to his classes.

“Well all relationships require work…” Lea began.

“But not all cope with the strain. If a husband of mine went behind my back and tried such a stunt, I would have divorced them on the spot” Margaret interrupted, her smile dropped and Margaret looked towards Severus imploring him to speak. “It just shows your age. Naivety and how irresponsible you are. Not fitting attributes for a teacher...potential mother or wife.”

Lea’s eyes had remained red since seeing her but will likely remain that way for a while after Margaret left.  _ She was right about teaching the class but unaware how difficult it is to deal with Albus when he puts his mind to it. _

Margaret did not stop there. “I heard what the other student’s called you in your first year, the Alder demon. To see your eyes for myself that is another fact entirely, I’m surprised why Rita never mentioned them either...maybe she knew what she could get away with or it was removed before publishing due to fear of how Albus Dumbledore would react.”

“What’s your point?” Lea interrupted, refusing to budge for the woman or have Severus intervene on her behalf as she saw the angry glint in his eyes.

“You must be especially vicious for that nickname” Margaret pressed and Lea snorted.

“Nope, just my eyes inherit reaction and my speed climbing trees. I didn’t really give most people the time of day and they avoided me because who my great uncle is” Lea answered, shrugging.  _ She did have a temper but she didn’t hurt people.  _ Her mother helped her learn to occlude to help her control it to varying results.  _ As well as protect her from other things. _

“In skirts?” she continued, seemingly pushing on the matter of trees.

“Nope. Chucked those out of my trunk with the dresses for weekends the moment my mum wasn’t looking, I wore trousers under my robes and without them. There was a whole discussion about them when she came to discuss Monty sneaking into my belongings” Lea answered, Margaret didn’t seem to be giving up though. “One of the girls was spying on me that evening and spread a rumor that I would flash boys at home and that’s why I had to wear boys clothes.”

“Monty?” Eileen asked and Lea’s eyes almost simmered back to blue again.

“Her mother’s pet ball python, he snuck into her belongings when she was emptying her trunk and stuffing other stuff in there...I’m glad the trunk went straight to the castle myself rather than with her on the train, for a number of reasons. Not scaring the other students for one” Severus explained, giving Lea a stern look.

“Why Monty?” Eileen asked and Severus scowled.

“Because her grandmother and mother managed to get a muggle tv to work to watch...VHS tapes?” Severus began only to pause to check with her, Lea nodded. “They were quite insistent that Lea learn about muggle culture at a young age, Albus especially.”

“Speaking of…”

“No, mother. We are not visiting, you’ll be lucky If I ever let you visit again with this stunt” Severus snarled while cutting Eileen off. She winced and turned red.

“She’s your mother, Sev” Margaret protested only to meet his fierce eyes.

“It’s not Sev, it’s professor. I do not have a personal relationship with you and you are not one of the Slytherin families I normally associate with” he snapped and narrowed his eyes at her. “You're four years older than my wife, so don’t act as if you know everything.”

“Severus don’t speak to her that way!” Eileen protested and Severus shook his head.

“Leave. I told I won’t tolerate you disrespecting my wife and you’ve done it again after what you promised me” he growled and Eileen refused to move as Margaret rushed to get her bag to leave.

“Your father…”

“Knows nothing about my wife and I know what you were doing. You don’t like that I will be staying here and want me to pick her, so I’ll move back. Well, not moving anywhere near that git, so forget it!” Severus continued, glaring down at Eileen.

“You can’t…”

“GET OUT! OR I’LL…” he yelled but he did not need to finish. They left in a rush, there were a few moments of silence before they went to sit down but spotted a white scarf. His voice returned to normal as he sneered at the item. “Quill and parchment, we’re sending an owl to return that. Since she purposely left this.”

She nodded and grabbed some parcel paper as well. He speedily wrote out the message or threat as some may see it then indicated for her to follow him to the owlery. 

He was quiet all the way but the scowl scared off several students on the way. 

“Prince!” he called and a male eagle owl swooped down towards them. He was huge and Severus gave him a quick brush on the head with his hand before handing the package to him. 

The bird while beating its wings caused a small gust of wind that blew the hair into their eyes and was out of sight moments later. Severus grunted and moved the hair out his face. 

“He was a gift from Lucius when I graduated,” he explained, leading her away. “You would think I’m rich with all this happening but most of the Prince’s family wealth was spent long before I was born. Though there was enough to pay for my mother to disappear after she got pregnant and refused to get rid of me. My uncle never had children or visited, when he died, mother was the only child Edward Prince had left but he had already burnt his bridge with her.”

He stopped for a moment before continuing.

“I met him through Lucius, I have Lucius to thank for a lot of things but bringing me to...no. That’s best discussed at another time, the short story is my grandfather was a fool but he did try to help my mother...however she refused and he settled with just helping me instead. As soon as my sixth year ended, I packed my bags and went to live with him at his cottage”

He looked at her and gave her a small smile, it fell moments later.

“It was nice there but I couldn’t stay there after he passed, so I sold it when I moved into Hogwarts. This job takes all my time regardless, it’s easier to stay here” he said, then wrapped his arms around her. “I’m never going to be the father and husband, my father was. I’ll protect and care for you both.”

“I know you will, but don’t push yourself too hard” Lea told him and he pulled her closer making her feel the bulge hidden behind his robes.

“You were saying?” he purred in her ear and she blushed. She bit her lip and was going to whisper back but he pulled away. “But that can wait until tonight, I'm getting quite hungry and I know you two are as well.”

_ He was such a tease and it was clear he was enjoying it.  _

* * *

  
  


She had just gotten under the covers when she saw his face before he immediately went for her breasts. His lips went to her lift nipple as his right hand played with her right breast causing her to take a sharp intake of air. 

His attention to her body was intoxicating, her woman hood reacted and her hands moved to his enjoyment as she felt the smile on her left breast as her right hand began to rub circles down below while the other was on the sheets clutching tightly.

The room was filled with her moans and the noises as he playful sucked and licked each breast. 

He stopped and there was a ruffle of clothing under the sheets as he took off his pajama bottoms, then proceeded to chuck them out from under the sheets. 

He moved and she stopped for a moment as he lined himself with her. He entered and she gasped, her legs wrapping around him as he began to slowly rock inside her.

“Touch yourself” he growled. 

She didn’t need to be told twice as her hand returned to herself and his lips joined hers.

His pace quickened as she began to quake and release around him. Moaning his mouth, he used the opportunity to slip in his tongue. 

His thrusts became harder and his mouth movements became more hungry.

Her muffled moans were getting louder as was the noises of their bodies meeting, his thrusts increasing in speed and intensity.

His dark eyes were lost in her blue ones as he moaned in her mouth as she clamped down around him again, he still didn’t release yet. Her breath was heavy as he released her mouth for air, her breasts bouncing at the strength of his thrusts.

He went for her again and the bed started to not lightly creek but shake and moan from the power he was putting into her. 

Then he drove the deepest he could inside her, making her cry out as she felt each burst of cum spill into her, filling her as she twitched from the intensity. 

She returned to him and saw his eyes on her, in a daze. He slowly pulled from her and rolled over. 

She slowly moved to lay in his arms and lazily waved her hand to clean them both. He had drifted to sleep as soon as his arms wrapped around her. 

She loved sleeping in his arms, it made her feel warm and safe. He always seemed so delicate in these moments, that the storm inside him would calm for him in these moments. She hoped he would sleep well, because the year was about to get busier. 

* * *

  
  


He awoke later that morning after her grandmother had left while her mother remained. She had brought him a small english breakfast to help him start the day as her mother took note of what they had in their personal kitchen. She had asked for some help with making prepared meals since she knew Severus would work late and often from now and until Christmas. She wanted to ensure he ate, even if she didn’t finish working in their workshop until late. 

“Careful Lea, I could get used to this” Severus warned her, his lips twitching as he took a mouthful and blinked before demolishing his whole meal. He then drank the whole glass orange juice. He was silent for a few moments. “Did you?”

“Yes, orange juice is freshly squeezed as well. I thought you would want the best start you could possibly get for your work today” Lea answered and he nodded before pulling her lips to his. “I’m glad you liked it, I will be visiting Ella and herd today before things get busy.”

“I’ll put my work on pause today to go with you, I can’t have you leaving on your own with Quirrell…” Severus began but she shook her head. 

“Mother’s here and she can take me. Thank you Severus but you got work…” Lea started to remind him but he gave her a small smile.

“I want to go with you. I want our marriage to work and I want to try to get along with your family” Severus cut her off and took her hands, squeezing them to reassure her. “I may need your help later on with food and maybe some tea.”

“One step ahead of you. I called in some help to prepare some meals for you to heat up when things get really busy and you don’t have time to go upstairs” Lea answered and he lifted her hands to his lips. “You liked my cooking that much?”

“Your cooking was more than enjoyable before but now. I want to keep it all to myself” Severus told her and Lea kissed his cheek.

“I was actually thinking about making some food for our house during the holidays” Lea suggested and he shook his head.

“Best not, some parents are complaining about you as it is. Draco and his friends would be fine to bake for, in fact I would encourage it” Severus said and she nodded sadly. “If it makes you feel better, you’ve turned some heads in your favor. Most of the girls like you or the fact they don’t need to talk to me in the middle of night for their emergencies.”

“Speaking of parents complaining, what on earth was yesterday about? I know what she was doing but didn’t we explain things to her and she seemed to understand” Lea asked, refusing to look at him as she fumbled with her fingers.

“My father is what happened, to his knowledge Margaret is a sweet Christian girl that lives nearby, not a muggleborn that studied at Hogwarts. He’s acted ‘nice’ before and he was almost decent until I started showing signs but he’s never really liked anything, much” Severus explained, gripping the sheets until his knuckles turned white. “He’s dangerous to you and the baby. Let’s just leave it as that.”

Lea kissed his cheek and took the tray to clean up while he got ready. 

Her mother was ready as always and took the tray before leaving her in the living room while insisting she would take care of it. 

She finished just in time as Severus had finished getting ready.

“3 out 3, Lea. I’m proud of you” Aurora said as they reached the Hogsmeade. “How did your experiment go?”

“It had some results and Ollivander has made a number of suggestions to improve things” Lea answered, then went and relaid everything best she could while her mother nodded ever so often.

It wasn’t until they reached the family home that she spoke again.

“I see, your grandmother did help you that day with gathering wand wood but most likely it was a matter of luck and being in the right place at the right time” Aurora mused, before looking back up and helping them go through the large gate. She then helped them through the side gate at the right side of the house that led out back. “That foal is a playful one, but as you will likely soon see the whole herd seems to be happy with the arrangement.”

They walked out to see the meadow and almost immediately Ella trotted over to them to nuzzle Lea. She chuckled and nodded for Severus to follow her into the meadow with Ella. 

“Shouldn’t we go and talk with them before…”

“The moment we step foot in the house, father will drag you away to interrogate you on your imagined crimes” Lea said as they noticed the rest of the herd entertaining the young foal. 

“Avoiding him will give him more time to come with more and besides your friends don’t like my presence too much” Severus noted, looking at the stallion who snorted at him as he tried to get close.

She thought for a moment and quickly looked back at the house. Her father was marching over and she made a silent prayer that he wouldn’t bring up his time as an Auror to her husband. 

“Lea” her father practically growled.

“Yes, dad” Lea answered, avoiding eye contact as she petted the unicorn stallion.

“Come inside, we want to talk to you” Albert insisted and she turned pale. He sighed and walked up to her to hug her. 

She blushed and conceded, not wanting to drag the situation out any longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been thinking a lot about wand lore lately and wanted to make sure to include a trait that  
> both Neville and Lockhart share. Charms being one of them, though Neville took a while to  
> build up his confidence and hard work built him up to the character he is. Lockhart being a fool  
> and big head headed didn't full fill what potential he could have and focused on memory  
> charms while boosting his ego on the side. 
> 
> So the second part was referring that and to give room to add for a reason for Lockhart to boast  
> about it as well as it being a expensive wand.
> 
> I've also been thinking on the way wand makers work and legal matters.
> 
> Eileen is tricky we don't know much about Severus's family aside them being poor and dysfunctional.  
> She was captain of the gobstones team at Hogwarts and deemed unattractive.  
> Severus preferred his magical heritage and used his mother's maiden name as a nickname.  
> Then there's Tobias connection to Christianity and his behaviour towards his family.
> 
> Anyway here's my thoughts, if you like them I'll try and post more.  
> Hope you are all well and I'll be happy to hear your thought on the matter.
> 
> edit: edited tags so hopefully they represent the fic better


	8. An Alder's insight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the Snapes face her family and Albert wants answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long. I guess you can tell by the new tags that there will be a mention of abuse in this chapter and I’ll put this warning here and hope you are doing well.

Irene was focused on cooking, not a care in the world as she chopped carrots and prepared hot pots for them to store away for those long evenings when they barely had time to prepare a meal.

The kitchen and living area was combined together for convenience, the cream tiling and cupboards in the back kitchen area had been painted and cleaned more times than the family cared to count but at least they knew when it was dirty. 

The white marble counter was covered in cooking bowls as Irene cooked. 

The metal sink was busy as the used kitchen utensils were being cleaned magically by the warm soapy sponge and the white widowed oven was lit up cooking the first batch of food to be eaten by the Snapes at a later date.

They had black wooden chairs on the other side of the counter to eat their food without having to walk over to the large brown coach and red mahogany coffee table next to the front right corner of the room. 

The white stone fireplace was on the left side wall with the old white fire guard in front. 

There was a large window showing the front garden that was guarded by two light brown curtains either side, the large white oak front door was to the left of it.

The stairs and doors to the other rooms downstairs including the door to the greenhouse were to the left of the kitchen area. 

The wooden floor was chosen for how easier it was to clean compared to a carpet and the cream walls in the living area looked as if they needed work again.

Aberforth sat on the coach listening to Albert continuing to press the issue.

“Well if what I say doesn’t matter then what's the point in talking to you?” Lea huffed, frustrated at yet again having to explain herself. It wasn't complex Arithmancy or some grand mystery only her mother and grandmother could see. But to her father that wasn’t the case, it was some grand plan against his family and he would do his damndest to find out why an older wizard had knocked up and married his daughter. 

“Your saying my opinion doesn’t matter and trying to control me as you claim Severus is” Lea continued, her eyes flashing red with anger at her father. 

Her grandfather had thought differently and that it was Albus’s fault, an opinion shared by all but Albert, Lea and Severus. Even Albus blamed himself to some extent, as Lea had found out and it irked her that they would take away the agency of her foolish decisions from her. 

“That’s not what we are doing, sweet pea and you know it” her father started again, becoming more agitated that he wasn’t making head way with her. “I just don’t see how you can fall for someone in such a small amount of time.”

“We had sex, I got pregnant. I want to keep the baby, he wants the baby. We made an agreement. It’s not that complicated and you shouldn’t make it so” Lea snapped and her father’s face went red. 

As if talking about him worked like a summoning charm, Severus appeared with her mother from the greenhouse, that was the room you had to enter from outback to enter the combined kitchen and living space. 

_ It’s not as if she didn’t care for him, she did. It was...complicated. _

“Albus trusts him with who I am and…” she tried to continue, as she noticed Severus’s uneasy expression. 

“Doesn’t mean I trust him! I was an Auror, I captured the likes of him. I’ve seen what they are capable of” Albert growled down at her, stopping her mid sentence. “You don’t have to stay with a creep like him to keep it!”

“Grandson not it, Albert” Irene chided him, stopping him mid rant. “Also she’s not yours to control, she’s her own person. You force her and she will never forgive you and leave you without a second thought.”

“Irene…”

“No, leave her be Albert. Your best way to help her, is to be there for her. For both of them” Irene stopped him and looked fiercely at him. “Besides he brought her here not once but twice, he’s not keeping her from us. He’s making an effort, encourage it.”

“Irene, you don’t believe Albus’s nonsense that he will be able to hide her from ‘him’ if she’s married to this fool” Aberforth interrupted and Irene made a derogative snort.

“No. I know Tom. He knows I have a family. He could even break into Nurmengard if he put his mind to it. He will find her, no matter where she goes” Irene answered and everyone but her mother froze from that announcement. “I don’t need to see the future to know, he will look for her himself.”

Aurora took the peeler and began helping with the potatoes. “He would be after her even without the marriage and the baby” Aurora interjected, as she worked. “Besides he’s not the one you should be mad at.”

Albert went silent and went to speak again after a few moments but stopped himself.

Lea decided she would help and chop some onions, some korma curry would be good to have stored away along with the hot pot. 

“Korma?” Aurora asked and she nodded. “Good idea, beef and chicken hot pot would get boring after a while. Though I do intend to visit on occasion, so let me know of anything fresh you would like me to bring to make. I was thinking bangers and mash for lunch, if you're both staying.”

“Thank you, both of you” Lea answered and both women smiled back at her. “As for lunch, I’m sorry. Severus has quite a bit of work to deal with.”

“Understandable. Shepherd's pie might be good as well. We also have a recipe for banana ice cream” Aurora suggested and Lea chuckled. __

_ It wasn’t truly ice cream to be honest. _

“Pretty sure it’s just mashed and frozen banana, mum. Not too hard to remember” Lea answered and Aurora planted a kiss on her cheek. “And yes, we should make some. Maybe some Lasagna as well”

“How is it that you three are so calm?” Albert asked exasperated as he looked as if they had grown extra heads. “After everything we discussed.”

“Simple. My father loves to ruin peoples lives so we are going to enjoy today, to spite him. Besides it’s not as if we are not making preparations to counter him either” Aurora answered and Albert went to speak but stopped himself again.

“I can get behind that. What are your plans for Christmas?” Aberforth asked.

“I heard your mother plans on having you both for Christmas at hers, Severus” Albert interjected, his fake smile barely hiding his contempt for the potions master. 

Severus exhaled deeply and seemed to be restraining himself as he replied “no, I made myself clear that I was planning to discuss the Malfoys invitation with Lea when she brought it up.”

“We’re going to the Malfoys on boxing day instead and planning to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas” Lea explained and Aurora looked sternly at Albert.

“Why not have Christmas with us and invite your family Severus” Albert suggested and Severus’s eyes narrowed.

“I can invite my mother and we can spend Christmas with you” he answered, his tone was strained as he did so and he gave Lea a quick glance before continuing. “As for lunch, we can stay. I won’t have time to join her on visits soon enough. So it would be wise to let us know in advance and pick her up from the castle.”

“Would you three want anything to drink? We have some beer, butterbeer…” Lea began asking, hoping that she could keep things moving and the three wizards distracted as much as possible.

“Beer for me. Severus?” Albert cut her off and looked to Severus who just nodded. 

“Same for me, dear” Aberforth answered and she quickly handed them their drinks before continuing to help with the food. “So Albus wants you to become the Hogwarts personal wandmaker?”

“Yes, he does,” Lea replied, glad that the conversation had moved along from what her father wanted. “It will take time before I’m allowed to sell anything officially and I'll need to build up the school's stock of wands.”

“Just wands?” Aberforth asked.

“Maybe staffs at a later date but only once I got my bearings, but that will take me a few years” Lea answered over her shoulder, before closing the cupboard. “Gregorovitch has set a target having at least forty wands approved by Ollivander before trying to get any of my work approved by him again. We don't have Wolfe's conditions yet but Ollivander suggested I get a couple wands approved by Gregorovitch first before working with her. She was willing to consider doing so at least.”

“But isn’t Ollivander one of the best, couldn’t he approve all your wands?” Albert asked and Lea shook her head.

“He is one of the best but he’s selective on what he uses, Gregorovitch and Wolfe are known for using some unique wood and core types. Wolfe deals with thunderbird tail feathers, they are one of the most difficult wand cores you can ever use for a wand, let alone pair with an owner” Lea explained and he just nodded as he continued drinking. “It’s mostly about getting me up to par before dealing with the more expensive and hard to handle materials.”

“Speaking of materials, two of them shed recently. The foal too but I doubt you have use for his horn at this stage, Severus. It will take some time to cook lunch and pack away all this food. Why don’t you and Severus go tend to them while we handle this?” Aurora suggested, only for Irene to insist. 

They were outside before they knew it, but at least her family wasn’t fighting her husband. It would be a long time before they would be able to accept him as part of it.

* * *

  
  
She sat their groggily drinking orange juice and occasionally munched on her buttered toast. All she wanted to do was just curl up in bed and never leave the warm confines of the green bed covers. 

Severus taken the covers from her and was far more active than she could ever be on a Monday morning, but it didn’t amount to anything close to her foolish wish for mercy from him in regard to mornings. 

There was no mercy, just a dark laugh and the command for her to beg for it on her knees if she wanted the covers so bad.

_ Piss on that. She would rather deal with the cold. _

She wasn’t going to talk to him after that, she was early along and she could do a lot of things...some inadvisable if she wanted to keep the small amount of space she could move him on when it came to certain matters. But just because she could not get back at him easily without causing issues, didn’t mean she had to play his games either.

The students had arrived not too long ago and looked as disheartened as she was with being up so early.

“Keep on like that and it will get stuck that way” Severus told her, she looked askance at him and he snorted. “Still mad you're not still in bed, dear wife?”

“Severus…” Lea began only for the flutter of wings to interrupt them as the tawny and black speckled eagle owl swooped down onto the table and pushed a letter into Severus’s face to her amusement. 

He snatched the letter and Severus tried handing the letter to her but Prince’s beak snapped on to the letter to stop him making her laugh.

“Stup…”

“An owl knows or an owl _ knows _ ” Lea cut him off mid insult to his confusion and Prince refused again to let him hand her the letter. “He knows something is wrong, humor him.”

He sighed and took the letter from the insistent bird, to open it. His brow furrowed and he cursed under his breath. 

“Well done” he told the bird in almost a whisper, brushing his finger over Prince’s head. The bird peered into his obsidian eyes with it’s large orange ones, while leaning into Severus’s touch. “We’ll talk in the classroom after breakfast about this.”

He indicated to the letter which he shoved into his robes without a second thought. Lea hesitantly looked towards Severus and the bird, wondering if it was alright to ask to pet him.

“Wait until he gets to know you first, then we can see if you can pet him. He’s quite particular on who he lets touch him” Severus said without looking towards her, Prince moved his head to watch her. “He’ll be curious at first, but after a few visits with me and the occasional treat. He should be willing to send a letter for you at least.”

The rest of breakfast was just filled with the noise of students and the chatter of the other teachers as they continued eating while Prince demanded more attention from Severus. The bird kept looking her way until leaving them just as they finished eating and began to leave the hall.

As soon as they reached the classroom and he closed the door behind them he spoke “Mother wants to talk to you without me...what did the first part of that saying mean?”

“It’s saying great great grandmother used to warn family members that either that owl knows not to give someone their mail from being told not to or knows something is wrong enough for them not to want to,” Lea explained and Severus hummed approvingly. “What’s the plan?”

“Do you want to listen to her about how you're stealing away her only child?...she’s not apologising, we know that much” Severus grumbled as he placed his right hand on the bridge of his nose before glaring at the letter. “A strand of your hair however might suffice.”

“What about…”

“She’ll interfere with that regardless...but you do have a right to know and if she tries anything else you will be involved regardless” Severus cut her off mid suggestion and noticed her uneasy looks towards him. “My father is extremely controlling and hurt us both from the moment I started showing signs. My mother is in a denial so extreme that she can’t accept that anything is wrong, I can’t cut contact with her otherwise he may start up again. I’ve tried to offer her help several times but she refuses because I can’t remember the ‘good times’.”

“A self perpetuating cycle” Lea muttered under her breath. 

“Yes,” Severus answered, scowling at the floor. “I try not to argue with her about him but she always brings him up, which sets us back again. She will likely blame you because it’s easier than admitting the truth, that she is pushing me away and I will never want anything to do with that... **monster** .”

“Severus” Lea began, going to take his hands to comfort him but he stopped her.

“You don’t have to pretend for me” 

Lea shifted her feet uncomfortably before answering hesitantly “I’m not pretending...I just want to be close to you, a bit selfish I know. If you want me to stop being affectionate…” 

She then felt his arms wrap around her waist and pull her close to him. “I like the attention but not in front of certain people and it’s okay to want to feel close to me...please be patient with me.”

“I will. Just let me know if you want time or need me to slow down” Lea answered, giving him a small smile. She paused and thought for a moment. “You don’t need to shield me from her, it’s better I know what she’s saying…”

He ran his right hand through her hand, catching some strands of hair as he did so and hummed in agreement. “I’ll tell her she needs to apologise first, I don’t want to cut her off but I need her to understand I won’t tolerate her actions. We need to set an example for our son and make sure she treats you well when I’m not around.”

“Let me know if I can help in any way,” Lea said in an almost quiet voice, as she relaxed in his arms.

“You're already helping in every way you can,” he answered, tucking his right hand into his robes. “Just make sure to not over do it and leave her to me.”

“Polyjuice?” His eyes widened a little at the sudden suggestion. “I mean, wouldn't be impossible at this time when I’m…”

“For you, not for me. If I did so later I would have to alter your clothes and mother would notice for certain” Severus explained and Lea tilted her head as the gears in her head began to turn. “No. The potion wouldn’t work at all on you both. Your body and magic would reject the change instantly...It’s mentioned in basic healer training when creating potions that fix transfiguration errors and related curses.”

Lea sighed in relief and they heard movement outside the classroom.

“I should leave you to teach, we can talk about this later” Lea said and he nodded as she left his arms and went into the workshop. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


She had five wands approved at the moment, she had four stored away for when she needed. 

Both her and Garrick decided she would be needing the Holly wand ready for her role as Hogwarts personal wandmaker. She needed an inventory of at least sixty wands to even consider opening her workshop to students. 

They suspected the Ministry would set the bar far higher to avoid hiring her at all.

They will also likely keep moving the bar as she progresses, hence why she will be needing her notes and to keep testing students' wands. The more records they had of students needing new wands and the bigger the inventory she built of accepted wands, the easier it will be to push the Ministry to give funding to Hogwarts for her work. 

Even if she made three wands the week before, it didn’t mean the whole process happened in a week. She had to collect supplies most of the time and have the wood dry for use. Then again some wands would take longer due to the material involved. 

She was grateful for her magic and her tools, which shaved off a lot of time for her work. 

As her pregnancy progressed it would not only be a challenge physically but magically. Magically drainage was an issue for her mother but will likely be an issue for her as well, she wouldn’t have the magic to cast complex spells at first. Then she would get tired from basic spellcasting. 

Plus her inexperience and research would lose her more time and supplies. 

Then there was maintaining contacts, keeping track of birthdays which luckily her husband had elected to help her keep track of.

Albus’s birthday in late August was expensive but he was overjoyed at least with the collection of fudge, toffees and all manner of muggle candy they could get their hands on.

The next few birthdays were Garrick’s on the 25th and much as they wanted to ignore him, Quirrell's was on the 26th. 

Ollivander had the advantage of a huge inventory built up over the years of work from him and his family, so he could take days off to train family or spend time selling his wands for himself and spend as long as he liked making his wands.

It would take years to catch up to even the skill set of an average wand maker.

Some wandmakers like the Ollivander, Gregorovitch and Wolfe had other skills outside the norm that they had built to enhance their craft. 

There was learning to make staffs, metal work and learning how to apply gems into her work. 

As well as using correct terminology such as blade or shaft for the front of the wand, guard for the part that guards the user's hand from the blade. The handle which was self explanatory and then the end of the wand which was sometimes referred to as the pummel. 

Then there was wand and duelling etiquette. Wand makers were often invited to official duelling matches to weigh wands and do repairs. 

It was all daunting to say the least, looking up at the mountain she needed to climb. 

Working with Ollivander at first was her best bet, he only worked with two different types of dragon heartstrings which were the Common Welsh Green and the Hebridean Black. 

Technically still 3 types of cores but some can argue that since different types of dragon heartstrings acted differently that it was four. 

But it was a step in understanding different types of the same core reactions. 

She had worked with coral incorrectly it seemed and she knew that different types would have unique attributes but little did she know how much it would be. Hard and soft coral reacted very differently to certain wood types. 

Because of the vast selection of coral out there and the growing list of what she needed to learn in her career, a sinking feeling had set in. 

_ She couldn’t work with everything out there. _

She had also learnt some interesting taboos. Never work with Peruvian Vipertooth heartstrings, the paperwork and the amount of red tape to even consider using anything connected to that dragon species wasn’t worth the effort alone and that the factor every wand maker that touched the stuff had gone out of business. 

The connection to dragon pox was the main reason, but most wand makers have considered the dragon species was cursed way before then. There were horror stories of wand makers before the disease first surfaced, where great misfortune befell those who even dared bring the heartstrings into their workshops. 

That wasn’t all she learned last weekend, she did know of the old tradition of planting a tree sapling along with a buried Alder family member and their wand. The sapling was always of the wood type of the buried witch or wizard’s wand. What she didn’t know there was said to be an ancient curse to those who damaged the trees or was foolish enough to steal from them.

Only the Alder bloodline could touch them without consent and her uncle Wulfric as well as his husband Xander was given consent to do so.

Her grandmother had confirmed this and asked ‘what other reason did she think Tom left them be?’. She then went to tell her that he stole the remaining family books not only to insult her family but to bait her to come back to him. That he stole her family’s wands after killing them and burned the family home as a final insult.

Lea only knew what her grandmother had told her about her druidic roots, she knew the old language but the Alder family rituals and celebrations were a touchy subject for her grandmother. So she gave her grandmother space and was ready to listen when she offered any information.

They often took part in her father’s family traditions more than anything and her grandmother seemed more than happy to join in but she did catch her grandmother singing unfamiliar songs when she was gardening while looking mournful as she did so.

It had been a long day that Sunday when they visited the family and Lea had stayed past dinner time while Severus returned to the castle after lunch, but made sure to pick her up that evening despite her father suggesting he could take her back. 

Lea had felt guilt over it but soon realised that Severus was indifferent to the further interruption to his day and had asked if she had gotten enough unicorn hair to last her until the Christmas holidays. 

It had taken her brushing Ella and some bribery to convince the rest of the herd to allow her to brush them as well. She had more than enough to get her through the Christmas holidays and past it. 

She was tempted to send some to Ollivander as thanks but she knew that just because she had five wands approved, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t have any more wands rejected. It was better to consider such an action when she had a better handle on her craft and knew how much she needed for her own work.

Today she was going to take a chance at making vine wands, her ancestors used to use vine a lot in making wands. Her heart panged on the memory of her family’s texts on wand creation being stolen... _ but she couldn’t avoid using it forever. _

_ She just had to learn to use it from scratch...no big deal...right? _

She felt the irony of the situation hit her, after her third attempt that morning.

She was descended from an ancient druidic bloodline known for crafting wands with anything with a woody stem that they could get their hands on and she was awful at using the material they were most known for using.

Sighing heavily before disposing of her last mistake angrily into her waste box. 

_ Apple? Maybe...she could take a break and make another wand for now. No. She would not break so easily, it was her grandfather’s fault after all, that she was in this mess. _

She took out her notebook again and scribbled down more notes of her recent failure, hoping she could see what route she needed to take to make it possible. 

Tears began to form in her eyes as her mind drew a blank at what she was doing wrong, she took a deep breath and exhaled. 

_ Forget the normal route then. It was clear it wasn’t going to work here. _

Two failed attempts later and there was a deafening snap. She screamed and chucked the failed creation into the box before pacing the room while running her hands in her hair. 

She kicked the leg of the bench and yowled in pain, her right foot throbbing.

_ She was such a fucking idiot! Why did she do that! _

Tears started to stream down her face as she slowly made her way to sit down on a chair near the door and wait out the pain.

The door flung open suddenly slamming into the wall as Severus rushed in, looking frantically.

“I’m here, I’m…” Lea called out, while clutching her right boot as her foot throbbed but she didn’t get to finish speaking as he rushed over and took off her boot. She couldn’t stop him taking her sock off and examining her foot. “It’s my fault, I kicked the bench in frustration. I’ll be fine…”

He pulled out a small tub from his robes and opened it to reveal the similar white gunk to what he used on her after their first night together. 

“You should know better” he grumbled and started massaging the gunk onto her sore foot. Her foot tingled as it healed. “What had you performing doing such an unadvised action?”

“Six failed attempts on Vine wands” Lea answered and his brow furrowed. “I know an insult to my heritage…”

“No. You're not. Can I look?” he cut her off and she reluctantly nodded. He got up and vanished the gunk from his hands before putting away the tub. He went over and looked through the waste bin. “They look fine, apart from the snapped ones. Maybe you need a break instead?”

She looked up at the old silver antique clock on the far wall and noticed she had not only missed lunch but dinner would be soon enough.

“Maybe for a bite to eat, don’t you have class in five minutes? I could help you clean up” Lea suggested and he shook his head.

“Seventh year Potions are Thursdays, I finished teaching sixth year potions a few minutes ago” he told her, his lips twitching as he walked back to her. A mischievous glint shone in his eyes as he observed her sitting down, her body reacted before her mind could.

_ He had finished teaching for today. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was edit to past chapters on mention of the Alder family land and few other matters and I don’t think the tags need anymore editing. 
> 
> I have looked up a lot of things and have been taking notes. I wondered how the wizarding world would react to Vipertooths connection to Dragon pox and thought of the reaction to our world's own reaction to animals thought to have carried diseases.
> 
> Rats in particular, I had a rat once called Bert. He was old and friendly, we had gotten him second hand. Having him for the short time we had him made me think about my own past perspective on rats in general and other creatures of the animal kingdom. 
> 
> The point is that a negative viewpoint can go a long way to affect the decisions around you and it’s not necessarily the right one when it's a domesticated rat not a wild one. In this case dragon pox despite it’s cure has killed a number of background characters because of old age and that’s the viewpoint I’m going from here with Vipertooths. 
> 
> Reading up on the little information on Wolfe makes me extremely interested in what other cultures in the wizarding world do to channel magic and feel even more uneasy about more things Rowling has said.
> 
> There's a lot the fandom has expanded on and continues to do so. 
> 
> I’m quite interested in educating myself further and seeing the fandom grow despite the author's unhealthy commentary.
> 
> Feel free to comment, I don’t bite. 
> 
> Stay safe.


	9. Moving forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A friendly motherly chat

Lea lay on the couch, thumbing through their mail and separating it into piles. A few more complaints and a fancy letter from Lucius for Severus. Lea had a few letters from suppliers and letters from Charlotte and Keith.

Nothing from Wolfe yet or Albus’s friends to her disappointment. Not too surprising but nevertheless the wait was putting her edge. She had spent the morning writing letters and calculating their costs, going through their stores and ordering supplies for the both of them.

She had managed to make two wands that week, with acacia and cedar wood. Cedar was a softwood that she often used for basic whittling and she could easily make several cedar wands in a week. Both wands had taken to the stallion’s hair extremely well, in fact she had a good enough understanding of unicorn hair now to cut down her time making wands with the said core.

If those two wands were approved which she was certain that they would, that would make her total being seven. Severus had insisted she avoid using vine for a while after Monday evening and ask for help. Even going as far as to suggest she leave the workshop and take a break for the rest of the week on Wednesday evening.

It was now his longest day, Thursday and he would be grouchy. 

She couldn’t sit around doing nothing, so he had her check his stores with him after both getting up early. He then handed her the mail to sort and had her plan their shopping trip on Saturday as well sort orders.

He would be even more tired because of her insistence to work...she had wanted to apologise but he shrugged her off and said it needed to be done anyway. 

It would give him time to get more work done so they could do the shopping on Saturday together. Which would mean they could sort out their combined finances at the bank the same day.

Next was looking through Severus’s book of birthdays and people they needed to get Christmas gifts for. He had listed their likes and dislikes, allergies and what he tended to get them. He liked everything to be organised so he could spend as little time outside interacting with people as possible, so he had noted everything down so he could buy everything in store, then have them deliver the presents pre wrapped to the castle. 

He would get discounts with his shopping card for Diagon Alley but he had mostly paid the yearly subscription to get the option of delivery so he didn’t need to carry everything and make multiple trips. He also could make orders by owl which he did for a lot of his ingredients and equipment since they were usually bulk orders. 

She had to keep the receipts for those, so he could get the money back. 

Looking through the self editing catalogues he got through his membership, she managed to write up a plan on what gifts they could get for everyone and how much it would cost. She was within budget and noticed he had placed notes in his book on who he needed to add. 

She had just added the information about her family which he wanted such as birthdays and allergies when she felt the sofa move under a new weight. She looked up and saw Severus peering over her shoulder at her additions to his book. 

“You hungry? I can cook lunch” Lea suggested as he took the book from her to look through it and then compared her shopping list to his notes.

“No, I will heat something up for the both of us. We can have that chicken pie we have stored away?” Severus asked, not looking up from the book.

“Sounds good,” Lea said and he looked up for a moment before closing the book. He placed it on the coffee table and picked up his letters. 

“Any word from mother?” he asked, before opening up Lucius’s letter.

“No, we sent the letter on Monday with suggestions on when and where. Maybe she sent it through the muggle post? I’m not sure how long it takes to get here” Lea suggested and he shook his head. 

“If she had, the Ministry’s eyes at the post office would of sent it to us by now” Severus answered, then his lips began to twitch as he read Lucius’s letter. “You haven’t met Abraxas, Lucius’s father but he will be at the dinner with us...unfortunately Avery will be there with Sarissa too or I thought. No, with him there. He will put her in her place.”

She did know of him however, the former head of the Malfoy family was suspected of removing the first British muggleborn minister and had a very manipulative way of handling things. Both Albus and her grandmother Irene had warned her of him, that he was part of her grandfather’s gang. It was more worrying with the factor that despite her mother’s attempts to teach her to reign in her temper before Hogwarts, her eyes ability to turn red was known by those who attended Hogwarts during her first year and the information had also reached Margaret.

Her ability wasn’t the only thing that worried her.

While she had blue eyes from her father and hair from her Alder heritage. Her skin, cheek bones, nose and ears came from elsewhere. 

“Severus, do I look like him?” Lea asked abruptly, his head snapped towards Lea. His swallow skin went a light shade before he turned away. “Grandmother says I do, that my skin is as pale as his was and that me and mum have the same facial features as him...aside from…”

“Yes, you do but most of those features were _altered_ when I met him and your relation to Albus had my mind doing loops when I first saw you. I couldn’t work out who you looked like until I was told” he cut her off, refusing to look at her. “To be honest we need to discuss that and the excuse you gave Quirrell.”

“My grandmother’s excuse has always been he was a muggleborn who on he realising he couldn’t get the family money, then told grandmother he had no magical heritage and ditched her” Lea explained and Severus nodded. 

“Good. You will be questioned at the dinner” Severus told her, _well that part was obvious_. Blood was important to the Malfoy’s and making sure they were aware of her ancestry as his friends would be their first move. 

Before she could say anymore, he got up and left the room to heat up the food. _Something else was on his mind, that was certain._

She sighed and lay back on the sofa before seeing both Magical Menagerie and Eeylops Owl Emporium catalogues poking out of the pile on the table. The selection was larger than what was available in store, she felt guilty for using Prince so much over the past few days. Maybe she should get her own bird with the leftover gold from the purchase of Neville’s wand.

She flipped through the pages and noticed that Severus had already placed slips of paper in between certain pages. Horned toads, flobberworms and lacewing flies were sold in Magical Menagerie. They would require bulk orders for potions, he had told her this morning he had already ordered from them. 

She was going to flip through the pages on birds and later on some snakes when the catalogue was snatched from her hands suddenly along with the Eeylops Owl Emporium catalogue on her lap.

“Food is almost done, I need to put these away. Could you help me set up?” Severus said quickly, _he was up to something_. But she got up and helped him gather everything up to put away, regardless. He pulled out his wand to summon their dinnerware onto the coffee table along with some water and juice for them to drink. Before adding a fruit bowl to the table. 

She did however notice as they set up the table, him hiding the two catalogues in his robes. 

“Severus, I was thinking of getting a bird of my own. It’s not fair for me to keep…”

“It’s not a problem. Prince is not upset by it and neither am I. No one wants to mess with our mail with him in charge and I prefer it that way” Severus cut her off, before going quickly into the kitchen. 

Lea waited and the food soon appeared in front of her on the table and Severus returned to sit with her. 

She would drop the matter for now and eat with him, today would be stressful enough. She shouldn’t stress him out further. 

She took a mouthful of pastry, chicken and brown gravy. Her mother and grandmother’s cooking never disappointed. The potato bits were crunchy, working well with the tender small carrot bits and peas in the pie. 

“I was thinking of buying them a gift as thanks, any ideas?” Severus asked as he took a forkful of potato pieces. 

“Blueberry and apricot jam tarts. Some chocolate would work as well” Lea told him, he nodded and continued eating. “Maybe we could make a gift basket of some treats for them?”

“We can do that on Saturday...Lea, I was making it clear that that Prince is our owl and not that you couldn’t have one of your own” Severus told her.

“I just worry, you have letters that need to be sent out too” 

“Yes, but I usually send the school’s owls they have ready for staff to use for work. Prince gets sent out for my personal letters and packages or when I want to make sure for certain the message is sent out”

“You have shifty parents pretending to not receive anything?” Lea asked and he nodded.

“Yes I do. I also want to make sure no one can interfere with your work and your ability to communicate with your friends. There are not many people stupid enough to mess with an eagle owl” Severus explained, putting his fork down to give her his full attention. “If you want an owl, we can get one but I don’t want you getting one because you feel you have too.”

Lea kissed his cheek. “Thank you, but could we put this on pause then and wait to see if we actually need another owl?”

“Of course, Prince gets upset when I use the school’s owls. The extra work will distract him when I do so” Severus answered, then went back to his food. 

It didn’t take them long to finish and she went to clean up while he got ready for his next class. 

Lea examined the food cabinets after doing so, they had more than enough to keep them going for the next few weeks. 

She remembered to note down a few fresh meals that her mother could make next time she visited as she had suggested, it would be fun to cook with her mother as well so she made a note about possibly making jam tarts together. 

She was done for the day, they would send the post out that evening or tomorrow morning in case he wanted to make any additions and avoid the rush of students sending their mail.

If Eileen had written to them they would know by now, that was disconcerting to say the least. She had appeared on her own accord the last few times and they couldn’t switch places if they didn’t have a warning. It wasn’t right of them to trick her but Prince didn’t want Lea reading the letter for a reason and Severus obviously knew his mother better than she ever could. 

Not to mention the last two visits painted a nasty picture of what they could be dealing with in future if not handled correctly. Severus wanted to postpone inviting her to Christmas with her family until Eileen apologised to her directly and proved she meant it. 

It was then the fireplace crackled loudly and grew to allow the figure through in a green hue of flames to appear in the living area. Lea had barely moved the fire guard in time for them with a wave of her hand.

Her mother’s form walked from the fireplace, vanishing the soot from her light green robes.

“Thank you, dear” Aurora said, giving her a quick smile before dropping a large black bag on the table and sitting down next to her. She looked to see the notes Lea had made and summoned with a graceful wave of her hand over her green eyes, her blue half rim glasses, perfectly in place without need of adjustment.

She pointed to the large bag and Lea opened it to see a lot of Vine and large buckets of wood varnish. The bag had been enlarged magically with the enlargement charm, it looked as if she had enough supplies to keep her going for a while.

“Thanks mum”

“No need, dear. What is family for other than helping when things get dark” Aurora replied, giving her a warm smile. “I have missed baking with you, the flour getting in your hair not so much. I however can tell you have a lot on your mind, my ears are free if you need them.”

Lea blinked in almost surprise, but how she could be when her mother not only knew her but was an actual seer. Not that she did know everything but she had really good hunches and was extremely perceptive.

“Mum do you ever feel guilty about grandfather and feel less worthy of our heritage?” Lea asked, looking down at her lap. Aurora didn’t even blink and gave her a sad smile. 

“Yes but your grandmother put it clearly like this when I asked, are you a druid?” she began. 

“No”

“Do you enjoy hurting others, particularly the helpless and weak?” she then asked.

“No”

“I would also ask, have you succeeded in making a vine wand before or have your family’s knowledge on them?” she then added and Lea’s chest felt lighter. 

“No” 

“There's your answer, our heritage is just that. Our family’s past, it’s good to know where you come from but it doesn’t do well to stay stuck in the past when it traps you. Mother has always said herself that the Alder’s were well known for their history of being awful druids” Aurora explained and Lea’s lips twitched as her eyes began to well up. “We are not meant to write down our teachings for a start and should have them memorised by heart. No, I prefer our way of doing things.”

“Don’t you wish to know more though?” Lea asked and Aurora nodded.

“But the remaining families look down on us for the aforementioned and mother’s perceived crime. The damage your grandfather has done cannot be undone nor is our fault he’s an arrogant ass” Aurora answered, unsummoning her glasses and going to hug her. “What matters is what we do ourselves and that we know the truth.”

“I know grandfather is an ass but…”

“You don’t want to fight him? Neither do I but I know the cost of not doing so, seen it in fact” Aurora said, her eyes distant as she did so but she held Lea closer. Then her eyes widened and she got up then offered Lea her hand to get up. “My gut tells me chaos is afoot, come let’s check from the office before dissolving it.”

Aurora picked up the bag and ushered her to follow. They got past the painting and heard it, she handed Lea the bag then opened the door.

Aurora entered in time for Severus to vanish the vile green bubbling liquid off the floor that smelt like raw sewage, Lea’s stomach almost did a somersault but she regained composure to see her mother help up a student covered in a green fuzz off the floor then onto a nearby stall. 

She pulled a vial from her robes and looked to Severus who nodded. The fuzz rescinded and the student looked at Aurora dumbfounded but overall relieved at the smiling older witch. 

“There much better, now let's see the damage then?” Aurora said with the same reassuring smile she had recently given Lea. She looked up at the melted iron cauldron and nodded. “You skipped step three, the steam in here must have not helped.”

She found a large jar and opened it, with a few waves of her wand the air started to clear and she closed it and placed it on the counter of Severus’s classroom desk. The jar seemed to be taking in all the steam from the room but surprisingly not clouding up the glass or overfilling. 

“A temporary solution, but a needed one. Can any of you explain why the potion reacted this way?” Aurora asked in a calm but commanding voice. The class was silent and Severus’s lips twitched. 

“Pity” Severus said in a sharp tone, then turned to Aurora. “Thank you, Mrs Dumbledore. I understand you may be here for a quick visit…”

“I can help, yes” Aurora cut him off and turned to Lea. “I assume you will be okay now?”

Lea nodded and took the bag with her into the workshop, only to hear her mother start to explain the reaction the antifungal potion had just now. 

She began to put away her supplies and grabbed her notebook to see what designs she had of wands that she could try. She felt immensely lighter after talking with her mother and began drawing out sections to cut on a piece of vine she had selected to use as she had packed things away. 

_She would go slow with this one_ _and work from there_. 

She didn’t know when it started but she found herself humming peacefully as she worked on sanding this piece down. The guard was a little bit larger than she was used to and the ridges and bumps on the handle actually felt nice to hold. She had made a sharp diamond point to the pummel. 

The door opened and she heard Severus’s boots on the floor towards her, luckily she had finished sanding. She vanished the mess then made sure her gloves, goggles and the wand were clean. 

“How is the wand going?” he asked and she smiled.

“A lot better than my past attempts” she answered, her mask distorting her voice a little, she then placed the wand on the stand ready for the next step. “I need to work out if I’m staining this one or going straight to varnishing it.”

She noticed the grimace at the mention of staining the wand, her materials had been checked for anything dangerous and she was wearing her gear. So she should be okay for now.

“Your mother is an exceptional potioneer, not to mention how well she controls a classroom” Severus began and Lea nodded before deciding to darken the wand from the guard to the point of the pummel and a little on the wand tip. “She’s cooking dinner at the moment, how long does it take to dry?”

Conditioner first, _good think it was auto dry._

“Depends on how many coats I need...the varnish takes a long time as well but magic speeds it up immensely, well if I want to speed it up. I think it’s stained enough” Lea continued as she wiped off the stain with a rag, then continued working. 

“You wiped it off?” Severus asked.

“The wood can only absorb so much per coat, you wipe off what it can’t absorb” Lea explained and he nodded. “Are you going to pay her the pennies that Albus gives you for an assistant?”

“Would that be so bad?” he asked, a brow raised. 

“No, I’m just wondering since Sarissa made that task exceptionally harder,” Lea said.

“Assistant I’m not certain, she’s far more skilled than the ones I usually get and she just doesn’t have a mastery so she can’t teach N.E.W.T level” Severus answered before shaking his head. “The Ministry won’t give us the funding to hire her properly, even if It would be good to have her take half of the workload.”

“Want some help with those essays? I mean, I know we said I can’t help out...” Lea offered quickly and Severus’s lips twitched. 

“Lea, we only agreed because Albus might see reason to have you cover class spontaneously but yes I would like help with essays” he said, then a smirk appeared. “You know you helping out with essays would allow us some _special time_.”

He let out the last two words in a half growl, _trust him to bring sex into it._

She smiled and started cleaning it up. “I’m going to let this one dry, as _for that_. We both know you would find time regardless but yes we could use the time for ourselves.”

“Dinner at a nice restaurant or a night in, reading? Take your pick” he suggested. 

“I would suggest gathering ingredients and wand crafting supplies but I would get in trouble” she answered with a cheeky grin, she finished cleaning up and removed her work gear.

“I’ll do the kneeling, lifting and the climbing” he said softly, brushing the hair out of her eyes. “We best leave, else we will miss dinner.”

She followed him and when entered their quarters, they noticed the coffee table set up for two not three. 

“Just you two dear, need to head back after I finish up. Your father is planning something, you should have enough time to clean yourself up and get changed out of your work robes” Aurora called out to them and Lea went to get more comfortable.

Dinner had just been dished up when she reentered the living room and Severus was immersed in his food until she sat down. 

“She's sorry, she had to go, but she said she will return at some point not sure when” Severus told her before going back to his penne pasta with tomato sauce and chicken. “I have to say I’m more than pleased you inherited your mother’s talent for cooking.”

“More practice than hereditary” Lea said and his brows raised in skepticism. 

“Your grandmother’s lasagna is divine too, so I wouldn’t be so sure,” he continued, taking another forkful of food. 

“I was thinking of doing something and want your input…” she began and just nodded for her to continue. “I was thinking of making a family tome of sorts to pass all our knowledge to our son and if he decides to, future generations.”

He put down his fork and pulled her into a brief kiss, a bit of sauce got onto her lips but she didn’t care. 

“Custom made and we should ask everyone else if they want to contribute. Knowing Albus it will end up weighing a ton by the end of it or end up being several books of equal weight” Severus mused and Lea almost snorted. His lips spread into a small smile and moved closer to her. “If we are going to do this we should discuss names a little earlier than planned.”

“I was thinking Silas,” Lea said and his brow raised in amusement.

“Yes” he said without hesitation. 

“Just like that?” Lea asked and he nodded.

“I like it and it’s very you,” Severus answered, going back to his food. _He seemed so peaceful when they were like this, just them without the weight of everything else on them._

Dinner was quiet and Lea went to tidy up when they felt the wards being tugged at by someone knocking on the classroom door. She finished cleaning up while he answered the door and found out what was going on.

She entered the office afterwards to find Draco sitting at one end of the desk and Severus with a scowl on his face.

“Potter is the new seeker” Severus spat as Lea grabbed the biscuit tin to offer Draco a dragon snap. She paused and did a double take only to see Severus boring a hole into his desk as she summoned her own chair to sit on his side. 

“A bit desperate don’t you think?” Lea said and Severus grumbled in agreement. “Do you want something to drink? We have water and pumpkin juice?”

“Pumpkin juice” Draco answered and Lea summoned a jug of juice with two cups. Draco was fast to pour himself a cup and she noticed Severus’s lips twitch. “I hear you're coming to visit boxing day rather than Christmas day this year, uncle Sev.”

“That is correct, I will be spending Christmas with Lea’s family” Severus confirmed and scowl spread across Draco’s face.

“What with Dumbledore?” Draco spat and Severus shot him a warning look but the boy ignored him. “But he’s…”

“Banned” Lea cut him off, Draco looked at her stunned. “I won’t tell you why but Albus is banned from my grandmother’s house and grandpa Abe’s place.”

“So you're not eating with him?” Draco asked, looking skeptically at her.

“No, he stays at Hogwarts for Christmas” Lea answered and she poured herself a cup of pumpkin juice. 

“You had your wedding at Hogwarts and he talks to you all the time when you eat in the hall” Draco countered, looking at her in an accusatory manner.

“It’s complicated, my great uncle is my husband’s and my potential boss. He is also head of the family. We could be here all night explaining why but you have class tomorrow” Lea answered, she was trying to keep her answers brief and to the point, as this was not a matter to be discussing with a child let alone a student. 

Draco went to speak again but Severus shot him another stern look and Draco stopped this time...for a second. 

“They say your eyes turn red when mad” Draco said, trying to pry more information from her.

They would find out soon enough. “Yes they do.”

His eyes lit up. “That’s cool,” Draco stated, looking at her in amazement. 

Lea let out a small chuckle and they looked at her confusion. “Sorry, most are scared when they find out. It’s kind of a relief” Lea explained and Draco’s brows raised.

“It is cool, how do you do it?” Draco asked. 

“It’s hereditary,” Severus answered abruptly, he looked ready to get Draco out as soon as possible. _Better than dancing about it and causing more attention to be drawn to it._

“Oh, shame I wanted to change the colour of mine and make them glow for Halloween” Draco said, not hiding his disappointment.

“Well do let me know what you end up planning but from what I can gather, Severus is tired and in need of sleep before your class tomorrow” Lea said, giving him a smile before nodding to Severus. 

Severus got up and opened the door, Draco seemed to take the hit and left with him. 

She exhaled and continued her drink, only stopping to wave at Draco’s cup and vanish it into their kitchen sink. The boy was nosey, but had a sweetness about him. She had however heard he had been up to no good and would have to keep an eye for certain behavior, she was however limited in what she could do as she wasn’t Severus’s assistant officially after that Monday class last week.

Severus returned shortly, looking tired and about done with the day. 

* * *

  
  
  


Lea sat with him at his desk in the classroom that morning as Severus grumbled while he marked the fifth years work. A second cup of tea wasn’t doing much for him and Lea was busy helping him with marking. 

The wand was drying still, she would apply the varnish soon enough and then implant the core. Usually you varnish or stain after implanting it to lock everything in place but she was phasing it through the wood so there was no need to wait.

“Too generous, they copied that part from their friend” he told her and placed the offending essay to the side. “The others are mostly fine, just need a little tweaking.”

Lea looked up at the clock, they still had time before class. 

“Done,” he said suddenly, then sent the essays to the designated spot in his office before summoning the next batch. He split the pile in half and had her deal with the other. 

Third year had to write about shrinking solutions for the summer holidays. Lea’s eyes narrowed and placed two essays immediately on the problem pile. 

“Weasleys?” Severus asked and she gave him an affirmative noise. “That’s another week’s worth of detention then. They can do their homework then.”

“I would add to that” Lea insisted and he picked up their papers. Then scowled and went back to his pile not before tossing them back in the problem pile. 

She had made it a third way through the pile when he started checking her marking, she put his speed to being used to this amount of grueling work. 

“At this rate, we’ll be caught up with everything in time for Monday,” Severus said, placing two more on his pile of marked essays. 

“I hope so, your wrists must be aching after all this” Lea said, rubbing her wrist and he gave her a quick smile as he finished looking over the essay she had just marked. “Is this really helping? I feel like I'm slowing you down.”

“It is and yes a little but it will help me a lot in the long run. The time I’m losing you’ve already helped me gain back from sorting the stores with me and handling the orders” Severus answered before taking the remaining essays that she wasn’t marking and quickly checking them over. “Take a break and rest your hand for a bit, I’ve got this.”

Lea finished the last essay and handed it to him, he pulled out a tub from his robes to give her in exchange. She opened the tub and rubbed the white gunk called healing balm on her wrist. 

It tingled and Severus closed the tub immediately, then put it away. 

“I am surprised your mother had an antidote ready yesterday, though she is a seer…”

“No, that was mother being constantly prepared. It’s like she has the hospital wing’s whole medical supply hidden in her robes” Lea told him and he smiled at her comment. “She always wants to be prepared and she took a basic healer’s course in the evenings after work, shortly after leaving Hogwarts.”

“I know what department but what was her role there?” Severus asked.

“She first worked in the Administrative Registration Department then became Albus’s secretary in Wizengamot Administration Services during the war and then regretted moving to the Improper Use of Magic Office” Lea answered and Severus’s eyes widened.

“That’s three sub departments and she regretted moving into the Improper Use of Magic Office? Why?” Severus replied and Lea nodded.

“Uncle was and still is Chief Warlock of the Wizengamort and has his work with the International Confederation of Wizards as Supreme Mugwump. So at the time of the war he couldn’t trust many people with his paperwork and wanted mother close so he got her to change departments. After the war, she changed departments immediately due to a _family disagreement_ ” Lea explained, Severus put his quill down to give her his full attention. “As for her regrets, that’s involving the ‘pink devil’ not Albus.”

“Pink devil? Lea, I thought you were better than that” Severus chided her in a mocking tone. 

“Have you met her? Even Albus hates her guts, he won’t say it but you can just tell” Lea defended and Severus’s eyes widened as he stopped himself from saying something. “Though mother calls her a pink toad. I remember visiting the Ministry when I was younger and hearing those porcelain kitten plates of her’s meow in unison when we went past her office, it used to terrify me.”

Lea shivered, the fake sweet smile, the laugh and that cough. The less she thought of that monster the better. 

“I’ll take your word on it, If Albus has a dislike for her then it’s probably for a good reason” Severus said and Lea’s shoulders relaxed. “The wand, how long do you think it will take to dry?”

“I’ll probably check on it during break and start another piece” Lea answered. 

“Why not check it and finish it off, design a few pieces and spend the rest of the day with me?” he suggested, sending the now finished pile to the office. “You could look through the other essays during my lessons, just leaving me to check them over and make a few alterations.”

“I’m not using the saw, Severus. Also Albus and Filius have managed to ventilate the room somehow. I have my protective gear and the stain and varnish have been checked for any nasty chemicals” 

“Yes, I know you're being safe as you can but I worry. Poppy says you should be careful and we need to lessen your time working in there” Severus continued, pulling her closer to him. “I know you want to open by next school year but your health is important, remember that.”

“I don’t work on weekends already…”

“And it’s a start, I’m not saying you should give it up. Just reduce your hours in the workshop”

“You have a lot of explosions happening in your classroom”

Severus paused and just nodded. “How about you sit in my safe classes?”

“You mean any class that isn’t Gryffindor and Slytherin cooped up in a room together?” Lea said, looked back at him knowingly. 

“Not all of them are actually safe to be honest, I have some Ravenclaws I need to watch extremely closely when they decide to experiment and a Hufflepuff that is a walking danger magnet” he said and Lea saw fear flicker in his eyes for just a moment. “Percy’s class is safe and they asked about you.”

“They did?” Lea asked, her eyes lit up.

“Yes,” Severus said, his lips twitched at the sight. “Clearwater seemed particularly interested in your whereabouts.”

“I guess I could sit in and help you mark in her lesson then” Lea then said, Severus raised a brow at this only to turn towards the door when they heard footsteps outside.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really tempted to have a go and make a wand myself, I’ve been watching some videos and reading up on the things I would need online. 
> 
> I’ve gathered that the timeline for a basic wand would be 30 minutes - a day with someone with experience and based on wood type, design ect. I saw a video of a plain blade heavy wand taking around 20-30 minutes for one person without sanding, a commenter on the video said 3 hours with a harder wood. Then a more complex design with tools about a day for another. 
> 
> So my estimate is going to be one or two days, maybe three for a wand without the collection of supplies. To account for designing, basic shape, details, sanding, varnishing and sometimes staining or painting the wand. Then core treatment and implantation with the final testing before being set aside to be examined by Ollivander. 
> 
> Approx 3-7 wands a week depending on research and personal activities. Less when personal error or certain events are involved.
> 
> I will likely continue making edits from here on out and especially if I get the time and tools for having a go at wand creation. 
> 
> Might just continue with flexibility being an indication of personality and willingness to change ownership (like Pottermore states) to an extent rather than actual wood hardness.
> 
> Apparently sometimes you use conditioner or sand sealer for some woods such as softwood. It’s a guess with vine, since a google search and my knowledge is limited so if someone knows if it's softwood or hardwood. I would be happy to listen, I’m currently building a list at the moment of notes on wand wood types. 
> 
> It’s been taking me some time while I research and make occasional decisions. A bit worried about inaccuracies involving history and such but overall decided to continue writing and researching anyway in hopes that we can all learn something or gain something from the experience so don’t worry I won’t bite if you find any issues and point them out. 
> 
> This chapter took quite some time, took a few rewrites. Sorry for the wait.
> 
> Hope you are all well.
> 
> edit: minor edit on chapter


	10. Suspicion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a trip out and to the bank goes differently to how they expected

Lea sat marking as Severus taught the first years, they had all been assigned a few books to read from now and until Christmas so they could better handle the lessons going forward. 

Severus was currently giving them a lecture about the basic history of potion making, she saw from the swirl of his cloak and the shine in his eyes, he was enjoying himself. 

Draco had earned Slytherin five points and Potter lost Gryffindor two, that was miniscule to the amounts of points given and taken in later years. Potter had been caught a few times looking at her warily and she suspected Weasley was part of the reason, he had whispered in his friend's ear at the beginning class and gave a nod towards her.

Severus had completed the work set during the holidays for fifth and third year that morning with her, so she could get the most help learning how he marked his assignments aside from spelling, grammar and accuracy. Now they had to tackle recent handins. 

Lea sighed and continued to mark fifth year essays on the properties and uses of moonstone in potion making, that they had to hand in yesterday. It was beginning to pile up and she suspected that Sarissa's actions and Eileen’s past two visits had helped Severus get so behind with his marking.

The class was dismissed and Lea went back into the workshop for a bit before returning to see Severus had cleaned up already. She made sure she didn’t have anything from the workshop still on her and cleaned herself with a quick spell before planting a kiss on his cheek.

She then went back to his desk and continued marking. She could see all the fifth and third years essays being marked by the end of the day.

It would be Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff from second year until lunch. Then Gryffindor and Slytherin from fourth year afterwards. 

She was surprised he got it all done and was able to do everything else he was required to do. 

He would be on patrol that evening and she would be left to deal with their serpents.

She kept marking until dinner and Severus took one look at the pile and suggested they eat with the staff that evening. 

Aside from McGonagall’s comments about quidditch and insistence that they would take the cup back this year, dinner was mostly uneventful. 

It wasn’t until she was boxing up the vine wand that she felt a tug of her magic from the wards being disturbed while someone knocked on the door of the classroom. She put the wand away, then changed out of her gear and cleaned herself up with a quick wave of her wand.

_It was likely another student, but she would assume they would ask a prefect to bring them at this hour._

She opened the door and was surprised to see Quirrell outside, smiling at her. “S-Sorry I w-was wondering if we c-could talk” Quirrell stuttered, Lea gave him a quick smile while her walls slammed down. She then let him inside the classroom and focused on her wedding ring to warm up Severus’s ring to warn him. 

_Thankfully it didn’t glow or showed any indication she was doing anything but fiddling with her ring._

She thought she imagined it but she swore she noticed Quirrell’s eyes narrowing at this. The air seemed to become colder and she opened the office for him. She waved her wand towards the fireplace and it roared into life as he sat down on the other side of Severus’s office desk.

“Thirsty?” she asked as she went to sit down in Severus’s chair.

“N-No” Quirrell answered, his eyes seemed different somehow. She wouldn’t drink even water in front of him, she needed to be on her guard around him. He noticed the empty black painting above the fireplace. “N-Nice painting, b-but who…”

“Evelin Prince, first female head of Slytherin. Ousted by her husband who then became known as the worst head in history. She eventually became headmistress for a spell before focusing on a career as a Potioneer and author” Lea explained and Quirrell just nodded. “She has paintings around the school and obviously in the headmaster’s office.”

He didn’t react to the last statement or indicate he understood it was a warning. “G-Good to k-know.”

There was a pause as Lea felt her ring warm up.

“I w-wanted to ask…” Quirrell began. 

“What Quirrell?” a stern voice cut him off.

They turned to the door and saw Severus in the doorway, eyes narrowed on Quirrell’s form. Quirrell became deathly pale and he stood up almost immediately in shock or what seemed to be. Lea caught the same flicker of anger in his eyes that she had seen last time he had tried to talk to her alone. 

“S-S-Severus I t-thought…” Quirrell began to stutter as Severus continued to lock eyes with him.

“That I was still on patrol? Minerva is searching the upper floors. Apparently she is of the understanding I don’t want to be far from my _pregnant_ wife” Severus answered in a sharp tone, he looked like he wanted to cut Quirrell in half.

“O-Of c-course” Quirrell stuttered, now fiddling with his hands. “I-I just wanted t-to let you k-know about t-t-the rumor about h-her eyes.”

Severus sneered at the man as his eyes flashed dangerously at Quirrell making him squirm more. 

“You want to talk about gossip, talk to someone else and leave my wife out of it” he growled and Quirrell nodded quickly. The room became colder and she swore she heard something like a whisper, causing her to blink in confusion. 

_Must have been her imagination._

Severus’s eyes narrowed at this reaction. “How about we talk about this outside Quirrell?” Severus snarled and he led him out of the office, then outside the classroom.

What happened next, she was unsure of as Severus had evidently placed a silencing charm up outside so she didn’t hear anything. She leaned back into his chair and soon heard the click of the office door.

“I think he knows,” Lea said as soon as he walked to the desk, looking at her expectantly. “Your chair is really comfy, Severus.”

“Up” he insisted and she sighed in frustration before getting up. He sat down and then pulled her into his lap, she let out a small laugh in response. “Better?”

“Very much so” she snickered, relaxing in his arms. “How long do we have?”

“The rest of the evening, Minerva and I had just met up when I got your warning” Severus said into her ear, tickling her with his breath almost causing her to chuckle. “What did he say before I got here?”

“He wanted to talk to me and asked about Evelin’s painting,” Lea answered, before deciding to get up and sit on his lap, now facing him. 

“And your reaction earlier?” he asked, she felt a twitch against her stomach.

“I thought I heard something, like a whisper. I most likely imagined it” she said and his brow raised, seeming to be unsure of her response.

“Your necklace didn’t glow but we’ll need to keep an eye on things and have a bath together to look for anything nasty that may have slipped through the cracks” Severus said, only to start shifting underneath her. “Your making this hard, Lea.”

Lea let out a chuckle. “That’s the point!” she exclaimed and he rolled his eyes at her.

“After our bath” he told her sternly as she planted a kiss under his neck. “Continue and I won’t fuck you afterwards, wife.”

Lea stopped immediately, blushing profusely. 

“Now let’s have that bath” he growled and he picked her up bridal style to take her to their quarters.

* * *

  
  


She awoke to Severus holding her to his chest, giving her whiff of fruit and smoke as his chest rose to meet her. She felt his cock twitch against her leg as she tried to move out of arms to no avail, she was stuck there until he woke up. 

_Plan B, then._

A kiss on his neck and a hand going down to his...before her hand could reach him she was flipped over onto her back. His lips met hers causing her to moan, his hand then moved between her legs and began feeling between her now wet folds. 

She yelped as he grabbed her, moving her back so she was right against his legs and moved her legs around his waist.

He rubbed his now hardening length against her slit, making her gasp and moan. 

Then he entered. 

Her eyes almost rolled back as he entered her and he set a slow rhythm, making sure she felt each powerful thrust.

Her breasts bounced with each movement of his hips, soon the pace was getting too much and she tried increasing it with a quick snap of her hips but he held her still.

He pulled her up so she was now on his lap and thrusted up into her, she gasped. His thrusts became harder and she became louder as did the sound of their bodies joining.

He then picked up speed as it became clear she was getting close, she came with a loud cry and he followed. She clung to him as the fog that was her mind cleared and nuzzled his neck. 

“Morning” he managed to say in a tired grumble, as he laid her back down on the bed gently.

“Morning” she replied, waving them clean. “You hungry?”

“Yes. We could go upstairs to eat?” he suggested and she nodded as he grunted before getting up.

The same black robes and cloak with far too many buttons. A set of light green robes with black dragonhide boots for her. She slowly worked her long white blonde hair into a half up lace braid, then chose silver and emerald studs for her ears while keeping her charm on neck.

She got up and stopped in front of the mirror. She turned to look at herself from the side, it wasn’t completely noticeable yet but a small mound was there. 

“Silas is slowly making himself known” Severus growled and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Don’t worry you look beautiful.”

She kissed his cheek and they went to the bathroom to finish getting ready. 

They were met with the tired smiles of the staff table as they sat down, Lea immediately went for the eggs, toast and bacon. Severus predicted her want for orange juice and filled her glass as she went for some sausages as well. 

“That was fast, slept well, I take it?” Albus asked, a broad smile on his face as he watched Lea tackle the food that she had gathered on her plate. 

“Better, now we have started to catch up with the mountain of essays that have built up” Severus answered, grabbing himself some tea and buttered toast. “Lea has caught on fast on what needs to be done. We will be going out today.”

“I heard, speaking of which…” Albus said as he rustled through his robes for a bulky envelope and the family vault key. “You’ll be needing this, Wulfric will be there at the meeting to discuss the rest.”

Severus put them both safely away in robes and went to his toast. 

That’s when Quirrell showed up and sat next to her, stuttered a ‘good morning’ then when to grab some tea. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife and Severus was watching Quirrell like a hawk. 

Her mind was guarded as she continued eating, he smiled towards her. “H-How are y-you Lea?”

“I’m okay, just hungry and you?” Lea answered, she hoped he would leave it at that after answering. 

She was so wrong, he had gone from blatantly ignoring her and trying to talk to her alone to asking all manner of questions under the moon. 

It was when Lea had cleaned her plate, finished her drink and an orange, that Severus told him they needed to go to be on time for their appointment. 

“Oh, t-that’s a s-s-shame. Maybe we w-will see each other t-there, I’m b-buying a new book” Quirrell said, giving Lea a quick smile as Severus led her out of the great hall. 

They had managed to get past the anti apparition wards and into Hogsmeade when he decided to speak. 

“Our appointment is after lunch but if we can get everything ordered and paid for before then we can avoid him as much as possible” Severus informed her, offering his arm and she took a deep breath. 

They arrived and she needed a moment to catch her breath. 

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes, just a bit of apparition sickness” Lea managed to say before standing up with his help, he let her lean on him.

“We’ll floo back, the crowds are a hindrance and it’s a bit early to stop side apparition but it might be for the best” Severus said, digging through his robes and handing her a small grey vial which she downed without hesitation. 

“Doesn’t help that I was sat with that damn turbin wafting that much garlic up my nose while he just...kept talking!” she grumbled only to spit out the last part, glaring down at the pavement as the nausea potion did it’s work. 

He grimaced at that and waited with her before they decided to stop at Ollivander’s first so she could sit down for a bit.

As soon as the door opened to the shop, Ollivander summoned a chair on the other side of the counter for her. Severus looked pleased at this and helped her sit down before taking out the boxes from his robes for Ollivander to examine. 

“You alright dear, I assume you side apparated?” Ollivander asked, his eyes widened in concern as she nodded. “Ah, that explains it. My grandmother was the same, apparently being magically sensitive makes such things difficult even when it’s still safe to do so.”

There was a look between her and Severus for a moment.

“Ah, yes of course you wouldn’t know” Ollivander said under his breath and ran out back.

“Magically sensitive?” Severus repeated and Lea’s head tilted to the side as she realised he actually didn’t know.

“I thought you knew? I mean uncle told you a lot of things..” Lea began.

“Yes, just not _that_. If I had known I would have used our fireplace and done a lot of things differently” he cut her off and looked at her concerned. “It explains a lot, sensing out wood and wand cores is a skill that can be learned but you were sensing their interactions before a wand is even made.”

Ollivander returned with a large dusty greying tome, worn from overuse. He placed it on the table and started flipping through the pages.

“I honestly thought you knew, gathering that magical sensitivity shows up more in blood lines of seers and wand makers” Ollivander explained, he found the page he wanted. “Magical sensitivity may be uncommon but nothing to the rarity of a true seer.” 

He ushered them to look at the old writing. 

“My grandmother took a lot of notes, I must say it’s absolutely fascinating to have another wand maker in the making with such an ability, Wolfe was ecstatic when I told her. Both her and her granddaughter have the gift as well and from what I hear my granddaughter too”

Lea’s eyes lit up at this and Garrick nodded knowingly. 

“Yes, she’s been saying a lot. Do you remember what I said on thunder bird feathers and horned serpent horns?” Garrick asked and Lea nodded.

“That they can’t be in the same room as each other in their raw form, that thunder bird feathers have a curse that if they are stolen, all manner of nasties occur. That horned serpents only surface out of their perspective home if they want to and will let you know if you can use a fragment of their horns for wand cores” Lea answered and he smiled.

“Good. Shikoba will be pleased. There have been those in the past who learned the hard way to remember to respect both creatures” Garrick said, gave her a pat on the shoulder and went to look through the boxes. His eyes lit up and he examined the other two wands. “I was waiting for you to make a wand out of vine or ask about them. Excellent my dear, I’ll test them out and we can get them approved.”

“Thank you, Garrick”

“No need, my dear. I’ll send them back by owl with the necessary paperwork” Garrick informed her and they said a quick goodbye before heading off to start shopping. 

They got outside and Severus checked their list. “Food and drink first before anything else, shopping later when you're hungry will be problematic” Severus instructed, leading her to Wanda’s Marvelous Liquor. 

She felt so unclean entering the store with him but he insisted she stay close to him else Quirrell may appear to talk to her. It seemed that now that talking to her privately had gone off the table he was trying to get near her every other way, he was either a lot braver than he made himself out to be or incredibly desperate. 

_Maybe both._

It was hard to find a motivation to his actions when he was the former muggle studies teacher and most of her grandfather’s former followers couldn’t stomach an association. 

“One” Severus said abruptly, causing Lea to stare at him in confusion. “It’s for _after_ , something to look forward to.”

“I’m not sure, maybe some good firewhiskey to share on one of our rare nights off from Silas or maybe some wine for dinner together” Lea mused and he grabbed the most expensive looking bottle of firewhiskey off the shelf, she had ever seen.

“I have the wine stored away. The food and treats to go with it will have to wait” Severus said, before continuing to look through the shelves for beverages they were going to pair with certain gifts. 

He grabbed a bottle of sherry to put in the basket before double checking their list. “That’s the last one, sweets next.”

He then went to talk with the shop's assistant to pay for everything and have it delivered to the castle. 

They reached Sugarplum’s sweet shop in record time amongst the crowds that were beginning to build. They searched the shelves and bowls for everything they needed for gifts.

A few dozen chocolate frogs, some chocolate bars too. White, milk and dark for basic variety while getting bars with marshmallow, nuts or honeycomb for Pomona, Filius and Minerva. 

Fudge and toffee for Albus. Fruit chews to go with the Sherry for Sybill and marshmallow candies for Kettleburn. 

A few dozen bags of Bertie Bott’s every flavour beans, some honeycomb chocolate chunks, fruit lollipops and a bag of ABC letters. 

A few bags and boxes later they presented the horde to Mr Sugarplum, dressed in red dress robes and a fancy white collar shirt that made him stand out amongst shelves bursting in confectionery goods of multitudes of colours. His tired blue eyes scanned the list Severus handed to him and he began rooting through the shelves of sweet jars behind the old oak counter. 

He then started measuring out the jars and bagging the last of her orders up.

Severus then looked at his list after they had finished up and reluctantly made their way to Flourish and Blotts. 

Quirrell was of course there and Severus, being himself, took a quick look at the signs in store then rushed to grab, check and place each item into a basket. 

He made sure to say they were in a rush before taking the whole list's worth of books into the small queue that had built up at the counter. 

Then they rushed into Mary’s cafe and got something to eat, Severus sat them at a table with a view of the door almost daring Quirrell to show up. 

He got up after she had finished eating and led her away to the bank, determined to leave the alley as soon as physically possible. 

They reached the great marble hall, walking past the long counter of goblins counting on high stalls and made their way to a free bank clerk. 

“Afternoon” Severus addressed them. “We are here for our appointment with Ragnok after lunch.”

“Mr and...Mrs Snape? Yes, Mr Dumbledore and Mrs Eileen Snape are already there” the clerk said and Severus grimaced at the mention of his mother. “Down the hall, door to the left says offices. His is the fifth along the hall.”

They went down the hall to the door leading to a marble hallway with several office doors along it. They stopped at a door with a glass window with Ragnok’s name painted on it in gold. 

They heard someone clear their throat and tell them to ‘come in’. 

Ragnok was dressed in a fine black suit with coat tails, his silver buttons looked freshly forged from the doorway. His desk was red mahogany with papers organised neatly on it next to his measuring scales. He had shelves that looked like it was carved into the stone itself with all manner of folders and papers on display. 

Four chairs were placed on the other side of the desk and near the large stone fireplace. 

Eileen was seated closest to the door with a deep scowl across her face aimed at Lea like she was snake ready to strike. She wore grey cardigan and plain black dress with simple black shoes with a worn black handbag on her shoulder.

Her uncle Wulfric was the furthest from the door, with his white hair in a long ponytail covering the back of his neck along with the thick collar of his white buttoned shirt. His arms were covered in scars but they were tiny compared to the scar across his throat to the front of his jaw. His black work trousers and work boots had recently been cleaned. 

Severus handed over the envelope and key to Ragnok to inspect. 

“It’s good to see your well, Eileen. How have you been?” Lea asked and Eileen sneered at her only to get a warning look from Severus as he sat down.

“Peachy” Eileen answered curtly. “I had hoped to not be called into a meeting at the bank at such short notice before getting to know my daughter in law.”

“You received a letter on Monday evening, mother. Asking if you were available this week to meet” Severus interjected and Eileen turned back to Lea. 

“That was meant to be private, a matter between women” Eileen said in a sharp tone, looking at Lea in disgust. 

Severus sat between her and Eileen while Wulfric sat on Lea’s other side. 

“I assume you will be transferring your financial assets into the Snape vault, Mrs Lea Snape and will be commissioning a key?” Ragnok began, getting their attention.

“Severus. Think about this. She was willing to go behind your back once, who says she won’t again? You don’t even have confirmation the babe is even yours” Eileen pleaded only to be met with a sharp glare from both Severus and Wulfric. “Allowing her access to the family vault is unwise.”

“I agree” Ragnok interjected to their confusion, before Severus could object he continued. “Vault 523 has bare minimum security and is nowhere near large enough for you to share a vault with your combined finances.”

Lea blinked in surprise and looked to Wulfric who was grinning like a cheshire cat as Eileen froze. 

“I may hate Albus’s guts but he did do a few things right. Putting a plan for your financial future was one of them” Wulfric said and Ragnok nodded.

“Albus Dumbledore has been giving you a yearly allowance until your graduation from Hogwarts, that combined with money placed in the vault for you by other blood relations have added up to a heavity sum” Ragnok explained and tapped the envelope. “There’s also the legal paperwork signed during the sale of the Alder family land.”

“That’s why I am here, I require consent from you due to the curse. I paid Irene for the right to use the land on the condition that when you were of age and had a job or were married, I would renegotiate the terms with you” Wulfric explained before pulling out a large roll of parchment. “I will admit I’m offering you something different than I did then, afterall you are my niece.”

Lea took the scroll and unrolled it, a grin spread across her lips.

“Yes, not a large lump sum but a business offer. You will get a percentage of profits on a regular basis and selection of produce. Useful for both your and your husbands lines of work” Wulfric explained and Severus’s lips twitched as he read the contract. “You will also inherit the land and business after Xander, though I would hope the arrangement remains the same for him for his sake.”

“Of course, I love you and Xander. How are my furry cousins?” Lea asked and Wulfric’s lips twitched into a smile. 

“Furry cousins?” Severus asked, his left brow raised in confusion.

“Kneazles. My uncles have a pair of furry terrors at their home” Lea explained and Wulfric snorted in amusement.

“Yes, that's what I call them. Their fine, Xander has made them their own little hideaways to watch passersby” Wulfric answered, Lea then looked at Severus who’s lips twitched again.

She borrowed Severus’s quill and ink to quickly sign, then handed back the contract. Wulfric signed it and the contract duplicated itself, he handed her their copy. 

“Now that is sorted, we need to address where your percentage will be sent along with your combined assets and decide the vault’s security. We also must inquire if you are acquiring the vault for the whole family or separate from the current vault” Ragnok said, Lea and Wulfric turned to look towards Eileen who looked more uncomfortable as time passed by.

“What?” Eileen spat, then gave Lea a sharp glare. 

Lea turned away as she felt Eileen watching her with ire. “What would you suggest, Ragnok?” Lea then asked and the goblin’s eyes lit up.

“Separate vaults, I’ve been going through the Snape vault’s records and the amount taken monthly by Mrs Eileen Snape has been quite inconsistent. Especially with the amount she has taken is larger than the amount she has ever placed in the vault herself” Ragnok explained, he handed Lea the records. Her eyes widened and Eileen went to snatch the records off her but Severus stopped her.

“This was not the amount we agreed, mother” Severus snarled, looking back up at Eileen who went white as a ghost under his intense gaze. 

“Your father…”

“My father told you to do what? Steal from me? He’s in debt again isn’t he?” Severus snapped, rising out of his chair as his face turned red. 

“Not anymore…”

“Just as I thought! I’m not paying for him! I’m giving you money so you can get by without worrying about him spending it all!” he roared and Lea felt her stomach turn. 

“Severus please! Can’t you see she’s turning you against me!” Eileen pleaded, tears began to form in her eyes. “You're my son! My only child!”

“She’s done nothing of the sort! It is you who caused this!” Severus bellowed down at her.

“You don’t understand if I don’t he’ll be upset, he’s been kind…”

Severus froze and then lowered his voice “because you're giving him everything he wants, a relationship should be an equal partnership where you work together to solve issues and not purposely mistreat each other.”

“You don’t understand Severus, he loves me”

“My grandfather told my grandmother the same, she didn’t realise how little he cared for her until they were apart…” Lea tried to intervene, she shouldn’t but Eileen was bringing her into this every chance she got.

“Quiet you! You expect me to believe a word from you! You're just like your grandmother! A slut and a thief!” Eileen screeched, causing Lea to stand up and look her right in the eyes.

“Whatever you believe my grandmother has done has no bearing on me and I will give you one chance to apologise to me…” Lea began, she was not going to take this even if she was Severus’s mother.

“Else what? You will stop me from seeing a child that isn’t my son’s!” Eileen growled and Severus walked over to Lea. 

He pulled out a vial of black liquid and placed it on the desk uncorked, then took Lea’s left hand to extract blood from her index finger to place inside. Then did the same for himself, before corking it and shaking it.

“Five minutes. You apologise before the solution clears and glows white or you won’t be seeing our child” Severus announced as he placed the vial on the desk, giving Eileen a stern look. 

“Severus…” Eileen began to plead again.

“Do you want to take that chance, mother? Because I’m certain” Severus pressed and Eileen looked back at the vial before her shoulders slumped.

“No, I do not. I’m sorry Lea” Eileen said, turning to Lea. 

Eileen went quiet as they all sat back down for a few moments, Severus left the vial there until it went clear and glowed to get the message across. 

Eileen went deathly pale and looked towards Lea like she had been hit by a mountain of rocks as the realisation sank in.

“Separate vaults, I will continue my monthly payments but I will set the amount. You're lucky I even consider this with the way you acted towards me and my wife” Severus said, venom laced in every word as Eileen sank in her chair.

“No, I won’t take your money Severus” Eileen cut him off, Severus turned to her. He looked as if she had slapped him. “Use that money towards my grandson.”

“That’s a change,” Severus said and Eileen nodded. “Don’t you…”

“I do but we’ve taken enough, I’ll just say you got wise of it and Lea talked you down from pressing charges. That will keep him from doing anything, he’ll complain but that is what he does” Eileen cut him off, looking back at him as a tear rolled down her cheek. “I was so certain...but I was wrong and I admit that, I just have to make things right.”

“Silas, his name is Silas,” Lea said and Eileen looked up at her for a moment, processing what she had just said. “If Severus wishes it, you can have dinner at ours in exchange you can tell us what gave you the idea I was lying to my husband.”

“I can agree to that,” Severus answered and Eileen nodded. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do let me know if there's any issues, especially involving Wolfe and thunderbird and horned serpent wands. I'm a bit unsure how to handle them at the moment and will have to do more research on them in the meantime. 
> 
> The more I learn the more iffy I feel about Rowling’s decisions around Ilvermorny, apparently some stories have the thunder bird fighting horned serpents so I thought to have a mention of sorts towards it. I listened to some videos and read some stuff online about them, so my information may be inaccurate in places. 
> 
> Then there is a story of a curse brought about by someone stealing a thunder bird feather.
> 
> Then we have the factor Lea in a parselmouth, I’m tempted to make it so she can’t even consider using thunder bird feathers for this reason and what I mentioned above. 
> 
> Magical sensitivity will likely be addressed more later on but I’ve been planning to write about it more for a while. Naturally Lea describes snakes in her explanation of the ability but others with the ability may describe the ability differently.
> 
> I was unsure how to deal with Eileen but this is a lot tamer than what I had originally planned, the next chapter should be a proper apology from Eileen and an explanation and a little bit of advice from Wulfric.


	11. Rumours and Gossip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> an explanation and apology

“Don’t trust Albus’s intentions for you or your husband. I made that mistake and it cost me almost everything I have” Wulfric whispered in her ear while giving her a long hug in his huge muscular arms. 

He then let her go and disappeared in a burst of emerald flames in one of Diagon Alley’s exit fireplaces, Lea didn’t get time to process his words as she was being rushed into a fireplace of her own.

She reappeared in their quarters and immediately sat down on the sofa, almost forgetting to vanish the soot of her body before sitting down. Severus appeared shortly and Eileen after him, Lea’s face must have looked like she had been hit in the face with something as Severus immediately sat with her to ask if she was alright.

“I am, just reacting to some advice I received” Lea said in an almost squeak, giving him a quick smile to try and prove she was okay. 

“Something to drink for your nerves?” Severus asked.

“Water, please,” Lea answered, he got up and got a quick yes from Eileen on tea before going into the kitchen.

Eileen sat on her left and looked like she would break at any moment. “Before I say anything else, I am deeply sorry, Lea, for what I’ve done and not just for the stress I caused you and Silas. I misjudged you and mistreated you for it” Eileen began, looking in Lea’s eyes as if she was going to burst into tears at any moment.

The door opened and a glass and a mug appeared on the table. 

Severus seemed to be relaxed for once as he sat to Lea’s right, giving what Lea assumed was a nod of approval to Eileen.

“This does not excuse my actions but explain what has been happening, it started with that article. I had Rita and Sarissa show up on my doorstep for tea, they seemed so  sincere in their concerns...maybe I have been under a rock too long about our world, Severus. But I don’t have a lot of ways to find out what has been going on while I’m stuck at home” Eileen began to explain, then she took a quick sip of tea as she waited for Severus to speak. 

“Rita Skeeter is well known for bending the truth for a juicer story and to be honest mother, maybe if I stopped for a moment and actually talked to you about all of this properly then this wouldn’t have happened” Severus answered, sighed and leaned back into the sofa as he rubbed his temple.

“I talked with Margaret and we heard a lot of things, rumors to be exact. Then you wrote to me to complain about Lea taking over one of your classes and I admit I saw red, your father saw the way I was and started to suggest things” Eileen continued, nursing her tea as she did so. “Then letters bagan to show up from concerned parents and when I went to visit Diagon Alley I would hear the whispers about Lea’s grandmother and herself. It was the only information I was getting and everyone seemed certain of it.”

“Concerned parents?” Severus repeated and Eileen took out several letters from her handbag to show him. His eyes narrowed at the content and continued reading while indicating he was still listening.

“I might be at fault for the letters, I’m working towards becoming Hogwarts personal wand maker and some parents took offense to the letters sent home, informing them that their children had their wands tested for incompatibility issues” Lea explained and Eileen’s eyes widened.

“That explains and disproves a lot. The fault would be with them if they can’t understand that you were looking out for their children” Eileen said, she gave Lea a sad smile before taking a large drink of her tea before continuing. “They’ve been talking about how your grandmother got pregnant soon after graduating and stole from the family leading to her being kicked out the family home.”

“It’s complicated, she allowed my grandfather into the family home when he was visiting her before going on a small trip to Albania. He stole several family books and left while she slept. She didn’t know until the morning, when her aunt found the books missing” Lea explained and Eileen nodded in understanding. “She had banned my grandfather from the home long before that incident and kicked my grandmother out in anger when she found out she was pregnant and wouldn’t agree to get rid of my mother. She almost agreed to give her up to be allowed back home until Albus found her.”

“I see...my father did something similar but he paid me to leave after I refused to give up Severus” Eileen said in an almost quiet voice. “Do you mind me asking what happened to your grandfather?”

“He sent the letter back unopened, with a letter berating her for disturbing him while he was away and that if she needed help to go contact Abraxas. She did try, but Abraxas’s cousin turned her away and threatened her” Lea answered, pausing for a moment as she was unsure what she could say to her next but she saw Severus’s eyes narrow. “By the time he returned to England and got work, my grandmother had already come to terms with who he really was. She decided to make a life of her own.”

“I can understand what you are trying to do but our situations are different and Tobias would never abandon me…”

“Mother can I speak?” Severus said as he placed the letters on the table and got Eileen’s immediate attention, she reluctantly nodded. “Just because you remember the good doesn’t mean I can’t remember the bad and see him in a different light.”

“You were a child, Severus…”

“That’s exactly his point, Eileen. I’m sorry if it feels like we are ganging up on you but we are trying to explain how Severus feels and how Tobias made him feel as a child so you can better understand each other” Lea interjected, she could see it turning into another shouting match even with the progress they had made.

“Fine. I will listen but doesn’t mean I agree to any of it” Eileen said a strained tone, she seemed ready to argue until Lea’s last statement. Severus seemed stunned as he immediately exhaled in relief at this statement.

Severus seemed to think for a moment before giving Lea a quick nod to leave.

“Shall I continue with…” Lea began to ask about the essays but he just nodded and cut her off.

“Yes, thank you...I’ll let you know when we are done” he told her, his lips almost pressed in a smile as she left through the painting. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


She had just gotten half way through the fourth years assigned work for the holidays when she felt the wards being disturbed again, she went to get up but noticed that Severus had immediately allowed them consent to enter so she sat back down and waved her hand at the office door to let them in. 

“You're definitely making progress. I assume he is back as well” Minerva asked.

“He’s talking with his mother at the moment, I’m not sure how long they will be but I’m available if need be” Lea said and Minerva gave her a curt nod before ushering two students into the room. 

Lea’s face dropped and her mouth made an ‘o’ as Draco and Neville sat down in front of the desk.

“Is the talk important?” Minerva asked and Lea hesitantly nodded, she seemed to pick up on Lea’s discomfort but continued anyway. “As Severus’s wife traditionally it’s your role to step in his role when he cannot.”

“I see...what happened?” Lea answered hesitantly. 

“Mr Malfoy got into an altercation with Mr Longbottom over your eyes in fact, I thought it best you inform them” Minerva said and Lea fought the urge to make a strangled noise through her throat.

“About them turning red when I am angry?” Lea asked, hoping beyond hope that it wasn’t the case but Minerva nodded. “They do go red…”

“I told you! Longbottom squeaked something about you not being evil and I was lying!” Draco interrupted only to get stern looks from both women as Neville shank in his chair.

Lea sighed and turned to Neville. “I assume you were trying to defend me, I take it?” 

He made a quick nod as he turned a bright beetroot. “I didn’t mean to…” he began in a very low voice.

“I understand, you both were defending me and butted heads over the fact you didn’t know about my eyes” Lea stated and Neville nodded.

“You're not mad?” Draco remarked, his face scrunched up in confusion. 

“If he meant harm then I would be upset but I do understand that my eyes have bad connotations that are embedded in the minds of most of society” Lea answered and Draco paused for a moment as Lea turned to Minerva. “If there was no other glaring issues with their altercation I’m happy to just allow them both to apologise to each other and be done with it.” 

Minerva nodded and Draco went to argue. “I could dock you both points for language and disturbing the other students, Mr Malfoy?” Minerva suggested and Draco shook his head before apologising to Neville. 

Neville said a quick apology and Minerva dismissed both boys with a warning to behave in future.

“That was easy,” Minerva noted, a smile spread across her lips. “You know Longbottom took your words to heart.”

Lea’s brow furrowed and Minerva chuckled in response.

“Filius has been gushing about how you handled the students at Ollivander’s and his hopes that Longbottom’s confidence had been boosted enough to make better progress with his work” Minerva explained and Lea’s lips spread into a warm smile. “He’s been making progress in most of his classes, he still struggles in mine. How has he been in potions?”

“It was a lecture but he was quite focused and taking notes. I will admit that Potter kept taking my attention from my work from all the looks he gave me, both him and Weasley seem to be suspicious of me but I guess that isn’t really surprising with everything that has happened” Lea answered and Minerva nodded. “Want anything to drink?”

“No, thank you dear. I’m just glad you're settling in well, we all are” Minerva said, getting up from her chair. “You're doing well, even with everything that has been said and that is something to be proud of.”

With that comment she left and Lea's chest felt warm, Minerva’s praise was hard earned but worth receiving. 

She continued marking until Severus exited the painting, he noticed the pile of essays and smiled. Not a lip twitch or a small smile but a complete smile.

_ It must have gone well. _

He took up a chair next to her and started going through the pile. “We made progress, not as much as I would like but more than I have made in years.”

“Good to hear, Minerva was here with Draco and Longbottom. Both were in disagreement about my eyes and thought they were defending me from the other. We settled on an explanation and got them to apologise to each other” Lea explained and Severus planted a kiss on her cheek.

“Better than losing points. Well done” he said, looking up from the essays. “You're getting good at marking, I don’t need to do many edits to these.”

Lea smiled and continued marking as he continued to go through the pile.

“Mother has gone home but plans to return next weekend with a few things, I’ll be using Prince a lot the next few days and will need to report to Lucius that you spared Draco a harsher punishment” Severus explained and Lea nodded to show she was listening. “I also need to ask...did you mean Abraxas’s first cousin? Or a distant one?”

“That is a good question, grandmother called her Alexa and said she was younger than Abraxas. That she would follow grandfather around like a lost puppy and always try to sit with him at meals” Lea answered and Severus paled at Alexa’s name.

“She’s Sarissa’s late grandmother, though I have no doubt Sarissa attacked us out of spite and had no idea about this but it would explain some of her father’s current behaviour” Severus told her and Lea stopped writing to look up at him in horror. “Lucius will need to know. I know…”

“I won’t like it but I understand what kind of man my grandfather is. He’s going to look for someone to blame and if he finds out due to their stupidity that they cost him  _ his precious seer _ , there will be nowhere they can hide” Lea cut him off and he nodded, his expression became blank as a slate as he processed his next move. 

“We need to tread carefully, Abraxas will likely have mentioned your grandmother to Lucius and neither are foolish enough to mention it to Brutus but he may know something from his mother” Severus said finally, before going back to making his edits. “ _ Be naive _ with them, we need the Malfoy’s support and protection.”

“Those letters…”

“I will be discussing _ those _ with Lucius. Writing to the both of us was one thing but now they have taken things too far, I suspect it’s Brutus’s doing. We will have to ask Lucius to deal with them while we continue work as normal and with everything you’ve done so far, you've gained more support than we lost” Severus informed her, while finishing the pile in front of him and taking the remaining essays she hadn’t marked. 

“When will you tell him about Alexa?” Lea asked.

“When it’s safe to”

“It will be dinner soon, I can…”

“No, I want to stay down here tonight. We can heat one of the meals to save time” he answered, before going back to working. “We can get the fourth years essays done tonight, then you can wrap up and sort out the gifts arriving tomorrow morning while I mark the rest of the essays I have waiting to be marked.”

“Second, sixth and seventh? That’s a lot to handle in one day” Lea said, with a frown and he smiled up at her. 

“I will be fine, it would have been far worse without your help” he said softly, summoning the rest of the fourth years work to her side of the desk. 

* * *

  
  
  


Sunday was hectic but a few compliments about Mrs Norris sweetened Flich up enough that the deliveries were not too much of an issue. She had spent the day organising, wrapping and writing cards. 

Severus had been nose to parchment, marking and writing letters. To say he was tired that evening was an understatement as he fell asleep on the bed in his robes and she had to dress him in his nightshirt and tuck him in. 

Monday he had woken up first and it was as if a switch had just been flipped as she spent the morning sitting on a cushion as the healing balm worked on her backside. 

Being third year Gryffindors and Slytherins were in his first class that day, Severus wasn’t too keen on her sitting in that morning so she spent the morning working in the workshop until Percy’s lesson. 

She saw Clearwater’s eyes lit up and Severus indicated what he needed as the students set up, a new pile of mail had shown up and needed sorting. 

A letter from Wolfe, her heart almost lept out of her chest as she read the contents only to look in confusion. Then it clicked why she would request Lea to write an essay, Ollivander had mentioned others had learned the hard way to respect those creatures, which Wolfe warned her again about at the end of her letter. 

There was no time limit, in fact Wolfe encouraged her to send it when she had gained approval from Gregorovitch and write to her in the meantime and ask questions. 

Prince would be busy for the next few days, her answer would have to wait unless she bribed another feather friend of hers to do it and asked her great uncle to borrow him for a letter or two. 

Her wands were approved and Ollivander suggested she create two more wands with different wood types before focusing on creating a few wands of those 10 wood types to ensure she committed it all to memory. That he would also like to see more wands with common welsh green dragon heartstring, since it was one of the easiest dragon heartstrings to tame but enough of a challenge to ensure that she had enough knowledge to deal with later heartstring types. 

It was the beginners heartstring for wand makers for a reason.

Her list of cores and wood types she was avoiding for now was growing, Prickly ash due to the allergic reactions it sometimes caused but she had read about the medicinal uses it had. She would ask about it and see if it had any uses in potions as well, it might prove more useful for Severus instead. 

Yew, not just because her grandfather’s wand was made of it, but most of the tree was poisonous. 

There was also a self editing catalogue of all produce the Alder family business had available sent by her uncles with a letter stating they would take her suggestions into consideration.

A few letters from suppliers for her and Severus, a letter from Charlie Weasley from the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary. That was surprising to her but she guessed with her line of work she would be working with the sanctuary soon enough, once she had the right paperwork. She was mostly working with licensed wand makers like Ollivander to get her heart strings in bulk until she was approved by the Ministry.

It was mostly thanks for looking into Ron’s wand and repairing it. There were a few tidbits about dragons, book suggestions and a warning on unlicensed sellers of dragon goods.

She had finished writing her letters when the bell rang and Clearwater jumped at the opportunity to ask how she was and if she would be showing up more in lessons. She caught Severus watching them, hiding his amusement behind his eyes before informing yes she will be appearing more often as her pregnancy progressed. 

Lea still remembered the smile on the girl’s face that evening while Severus had her help him with paperwork. 

* * *

  
  
  
She had forgotten to ask Albus to borrow Fawkes until Thursday evening when they were in their quarters eating dinner. 

“Things are getting pretty hectic involving my letters, Lea. We need to start considering getting another bird. Albus offered to send some of yours through Fawkes when he caught me on patrol yesterday evening in the meantime” Severus told her, finishing off the last of his boiled baby potatoes. “I wanted to say something sooner but you were asleep when I got back and we were both busy with work today.”

“Ah, I forgot to ask if I could bribe Fawkes for that,” Lea muttered under her breath.

Severus snorted. “Not to worry, we have been busy non stop all week.”

It was true she had made two wands, one with ash and the other out of beech wood while he was marking for most of the week.

She finished her plate and sent it to the kitchen with his, as he pulled out the catalogues for Magical Menagerie and Eeylops Owl Emporium. 

“I will insist we get an owl because of your workload and we need a strong one to ensure no interference with our post” Severus began, flipping through Eeylops Owl Emporium selection of eagle owls.

“Severus...Eagle owls are…” Lea began hesitantly. 

“Not for the inexperienced and are  **very strong birds** , I have every intention to introduce them slowly to Silas in safe conditions when he is old enough” Severus finished for her, holding her hand and squeezing it. “I know you're worried but because of my role and we already have people out to get us, we need to be extremely careful.”

He pointed to a female eagle owl with darker feathers than Prince, she was huge to say the least and with a hefty price tag. 

“This one, females are naturally bigger and she’s been trained...you're worrying about breeding? Hogwarts has measures for this and there are roosts for her to go to, away from the other owls” Severus said, pausing to see her conflicted expression. “Prince flies up to those often and is given generous amounts of food here. Though sometimes I bring him a vole or even a rabbit to eat.”

She relaxed a little and saw a snowy owl, Severus seemed to grimace at the sight.

“They have great horned owls as well,” he suggested, he was more keen on getting her away from looking at snowy owls as fast as possible than getting her an eagle owl.

“You got to admit they are pretty. Not that Prince isn’t…” Lea interjected only to correct herself immediately only to meet his raised eyebrow. “I’m just looking…mum’s owl is a snowy owl, he’s very quiet...”

“Do you want a snowy owl? If you want one, then I  _ guess _ we can get one” Severus grumbled, trying to not talk through his teeth or glare at that page of the catalogue.

“Do you not like them?” Lea asked, it was obvious but maybe he would explain why.

“I think they are overrated and hearing Hagrid constantly talk about the owl he got for  _ Potter _ during the holidays…” he said, trying to keep his emotions in check.

“Has soured your opinion on them?” Lea suggested and he nodded. 

_ He was also still upset from this morning when Potter got a broom through a loophole in the rules.  _

“At least your not suggesting one because Potter has one but I will admit there would be questions...though I can just point to your mother’s owl as the reason and they may not be a eagle owl but are large in size” he mused, he was still looking disapprovingly at the owl’s picture. 

“I don’t know what I want, if it wasn’t for my workload I would have suggested a raven” Lea said and he blinked, looking at her for a moment in surprise. “I’m more used to snowy owls, I like Prince and I know he’s trained but I find the whole situation intimidating, especially being expected to choose a large owl which Silas would need to be more careful of than other smaller ones.”

He took her hand and kissed the back of it. “We can ask for a private showing of their more exclusive stock of owls and you can meet them in person?”

Lea nodded and he pulled her into his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Learned a bit about family trees and Sarissa is Lucius 2nd cousin once removed while being Draco’s third cousin.
> 
> I don’t like keeping Wulfric and Xander in the background most of the time but there is a lot of stuff going on in the fic and their parts in part 2 and 3 if things go to plan will be bigger. 
> 
> If things go to plan, Halloween should be chapter 13


	12. An Owl Knows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a new feathered companion for the Snapes and a important talk after a scary revelation

They were covered in their thick cloaks as they went to meet the shop staff in the field to see their stock of owls. They had requested to know what owls they wanted to view and set a meeting that Saturday morning with another customer.

Only that customer was Sarissa and her new husband Avery, the men greeted each other with a nod and a firm hand shake while Sarissa gave Lea a fake sweet smile. 

“Ah, you're here! Good. Good” the falconer addressed them, while his assistant prepped the birds on their perches. “Mr and Mrs Snape, I need to inform you that Mr and Mrs Avery are only here to examine our female eagle owl so we will be focusing on inducing you to our male snowy owl and female great horned owl for now.”

He then called his assistant to bring out the great horned owl to introduce her to Lea while the falconer worked with the Averys.

She was more interested in the assistant and her food than Lea, while the assistant explained her training and other details, but the reluctance of the great horned owl to do anything led to the end of the demonstration early. 

The snowy owl was worse, he completely ignored Lea like she was an annoyance. She felt as if the owl was judging her and hated every breath she breathed in his direction. 

To say it stung was an understatement but what made it worse was the laugh behind her and Severus. 

They turned and saw the eagle owl looking ruffled by Sarissa’s presence but overall cooperating with the falconer’s commands as Avery examined her but Sarissa was laughing at Lea. She walked over to the snowy owl and it immediately looked at her, allowing her to even pet him.

The bird looked at Lea as if to add salt to injury, like Sarissa was far better than she could ever be. 

“On second thought, this one. He clearly has taste” Sarissa called to Avery and it looked as if he wanted to say something to Severus but just nodded to the falconer who placed the eagle owl on the perch and made sure she was secure. Before requesting the assistant help close the sale with the Averys.

They left soon after, seemingly before Sarissa could say anything else to offend, but the bird and Sarissa gave Lea a look of victory as they left.

Lea sighed and the assistant brought over the eagle owl who immediately jumped lightly onto Lea’s falconer’s glove, she seemed pleased Sarissa had left.

“That was fast,” the falconer noted as he watched the interaction. Severus’s lips twitched as Lea led them to the now empty perch of the snowy owl without issue.

“Severus what do you think? She’s nice” Lea asked as she petted the owl and Severus nodded, she smiled indicating she was happy with the owl.

“We’ll take her” Severus said, taking out the bag of gold from his robes while Lea filled out the paperwork.

They were handed over all the essentials, including a glove to handle her and the eagle owl happily went with them to the castle. 

The trip back was short as they brought her to the owlery and fed her a dead vole, which she happily ate. 

“Thought of a name?” Severus asked.

“I think Pepper suits her, she has a dark colouring peppered over her feathers with brown flakes” Lea answered only to look at his arched brow and blush.

“I think the name suits an owl owned by you and it’s clear she’s has a sense of taste” Severus said before she could suggest another name.

Lea’s cheeks turned a bright beetroot and Pepper looked expectantly at them, which led to Severus snorting in amusement and presenting the bird with another dead rodent. 

“We best leave her to get settled and have a look around then we can try to have her send a letter” Severus suggested as he saw Lea’s worried look. “She won't fly off, she knows you live here.”

He slowly led Lea away from the owlery after using a few spells to clean them up and reduce the mess needing cleaning up later. 

“She will be fine, just needs to get comfortable. She will be spoiled rotten here and knowing you, adored completely” Severus reassured her, she nodded and let him guide her down to the dungeons.

“And by you” Lea added and his cheeks became flushed, she kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

“Even if she isn’t a snowy owl?” he asked, avoiding looking at her. 

“Owls know what they want and he evidently chose Sarissa, not a loss for me when I got Pepper” Lea answered and he was silent for a moment.  _ She didn’t miss him complimenting her owl and their name _ . “What matters is that you listened to me.”

“I’ll help with her and look after her when you need to watch Silas, we will take turns of course…” he began as they opened the classroom door and made their way through his office to their living room to see a terrifying sight.

They both paled as they saw both their mothers with what most children dread others seeing.

Their baby pictures. 

Before they could escape Aurora spotted them with a mug of tea in hand. “Lea! Severus! Come here, we have just been talking about you.”

“I just remembered, Lea hasn’t had lunch and…” Severus began while steering Lea out the room albeit not as reluctantly as he thought. 

“Lunch is cooking” Aurora informed them,  _ she got them _ . _ If she died of embarrassment it was here.  _ Aurora patted a space next to her for Lea and Eileen indicated a spot next to her for Severus.

It was tight but it somehow worked. They need to get another chair or two soon to give more space to sit down.

“Look, Severus when he was…” Eileen began only to get a warning glare when she showed Lea the photo of Severus as a little boy. He was skinny and wearing mismatching clothes that didn’t fit outside a church with a younger Eileen and a tall intimidating man heavily resembling Severus but with different eyes. 

“Mother. Stop” Severus warned.

“Severus you have a child on the way, it’s not as if you're the only one having photos shown” Eileen dismissed him before taking out a photo of him covered in mud with an equally muddy girl around his age, his eyes widened and he began to shake.

He went to grab the photo but he saw Lea’s photos, her covered mud or flour depending on the circumstances. One with a normal patterned ball python, it’s dark markings with pale blotches of brown. Lea was holding Monty with her Mother sat next to her with a big smile on her face. 

All her photos had an off tint about them while Severus’s were black and white while being a drop in the water compared to the amount of her. 

“That’s quite a lot, Aurora,” Eileen said, shifting a little uncomfortably.

“Yes, well the family invested in a camera when I got pregnant with Lea and went overboard. It had been a long time since a girl was born in the family and it was hard making sure she wasn’t spoiled” Aurora explained, bringing Lea into a quick hug. 

Severus reached out for the photos and Aurora handed them over to him, a smile twitched on his lips. 

“You were a mess even then” he said, going through the pile. “Silas is bound to be just as bad.”

Aurora let out a small chuckle at that and a mischievous glint shone in Severus’s eyes. Lea shivered in response,  _ it was going to be a long day _ .

* * *

  
  
  


She was resting in Severus’s arms almost ready to go to sleep while he had a hand protectively over her stomach.

“Severus,” Lea said. 

“Yes, Lea?” he said, arching a brow down at her. 

“I was wondering about that girl, you seemed upset about her” Lea said and he held her closer.

“Not yet, I can’t tonight” he answered, his voice seemed to shake as he did so and she nodded, hoping that dropping it and waiting would be the best answer for now. “Can you wait until I’m ready?”

“Yes, Severus. Take all the time you need” she told him, his shoulders relaxed a little as he continued to hold her. He was far more relaxed about her dropping it than she realised as he started sleeping immediately after that, while still holding her close. 

It wasn’t until late into the night she felt a tug at the wards for the living room fireplace, Severus seemed to recognise the presence and moved gently while trying not to wake her but her eyes were open already. 

He mouthed that he had this and she nodded before resting her head on the pillow, disappointed he had to leave her but decided to try and rest regardless. 

He had dressed himself and met their guest in a matter of moments, that’s when she recognised the voice.

“Severus, my old friend. I glad you available at this hour, we’ve had a new development” a soft voice called him.

_ Lucius what is he doing here? Has Brutus and Sarissa done something else? _

“Wine? We have an elvish red” Severus asked.

“Yes, it will be a long one. Your wife is asleep I hope?” Lucius inquired.

“Yes, she’s not bound to the wards like I and Silas is starting to tire her out more” Severus answered,  _ his voice seemed so different than usual. Cold and calculated. Did he want her to hear this? Since he was lying for her? _

“Good. Is what Draco wrote about her eyes…”

“Yes, they turn red when she’s upset. Is that something to be concerned with?”

Lucius let out what seemed to be a relieved laugh. “Quite the opposite. Father will be pleased, he seems to be certain of her mother’s heritage and this...this may prove him right. A huge relief and the best 10 galleons I ever lost in a bet.”

“What about her heritage? I thought you would be displeased, they say he was a muggleborn that ditched and lied to Irene about his heritage over the family money” Severus asked, his voice seemed strained.

“That’s the lie they chose? Father took one look at her photo in the paper and was certain of her heritage. She looks like her grandfather, with Alder hair and her filthy muggle loving great uncle’s eyes of course” Lucius exclaimed, almost spitting the last part out in distaste. “I had wondered what peaked my interest when I saw her. Apparently her grandfather was certain of it also and would talk to father about Irene.”

“Who is her actual grandfather?” Severus asked, Lucius made a sound as if he clicked the top of his mouth with his tongue.

“Best explain the development first, it’s far too amusing. Apparently Brutus and Sarissa had a little disagreement with Rita on her publications of you and Lea. They suspect which also means another suspicion of my father has, is likely” Lucius began, she heard the cheer in his voice. “Rita was going to publish scaving articles about Irene being a stealing hussy and Albus and his sister.”

“They wanted something else? What would be…”

“That Irene was in bed with our dark lord! Frequently!” Lucius called out happily, answering before Severus could finish asking. Lea’s blood ran cold and she resisted the urge to shiver. 

Severus was quiet but Lucius continued.

“She was, father talked about how they used to sneak around and he would cover for their dates but no one else knew. He liked to have the image of still being available so he could get the girls to do things for him, though Irene was the only one he gave anything that they wanted” Lucius explained happily. “Until Bella of course, though he was still furious at Irene for turning to Dumbledore and they had been apart since he left for Albania. All he wanted at that time was to reclaim  _ his family _ , wouldn’t give Bella’s suggestion of an heir the time of day and threatened her that harming the remaining Alder’s would be considered betrayal.”

“And Rita refused to publish?” Severus said,  _ though the answer was clear but she suspected he wanted confirmation he was wrong.  _

“She’s not mad, Severus! Aurora is married to a Dumbledore and our lord butchered the rest of the Alder family. Even the dark lord was quiet about their heritage, he wanted to reclaim them and win before informing any of it” Lucius said loudly, letting out a small laugh afterward. “Watch the girl and raise Silas in the old ways. Hell, if you have a daughter we can marry her to Draco, even father won’t object to that.”

Lea curled up, trying to pay attention to the rest as much as she could and then noticed Severus hadn’t put a silencing charm to stop her listening in either though that should have been obvious ages ago,  _ he did want her to listen _ .  _ Severus wouldn’t forget something like that, not with all the fuss he put up about the owl on Thursday and how careful he naturally was.  _

Lucius left through the fireplace and she suspected Severus would go to Albus next but the bedroom door opened.

She sat up and she saw his deathly pale expression. He usually pounced on her and fucked his worries away but this was different. He indicated for her to come into the living room to sit and drink water while he finished the bottle.

“Both of them knew and now Lucius does,” Severus said, as if confirming the truth more for himself than for her. His eyes threatened to shed tears as he brought her into his arms.

“You're worried about what Albus will do next as well as the Malfoys?” she said as a statement more than a question. 

His silence confirmed it and Lea breathed deeply in his arms as he held her closer as if he was worried she could vanish from his arms at any moment.

“Albus is unsure if he wants me alive or under his thumb. Grandmother knows he will find me no matter where I am and Lucius confirmed he wanted to reclaim us before announcing our heritage” Lea stated, the gears in her head were turning. “Wulfric even warned me of what Albus might do…”

“Are you suggesting lying? To Albus himself? He’s highly skilled at Legilimency, Lea?” he said softly in her ear.

“That’s a strong word. But it has been done before, no say Lucius highly suspects and mention Rita dismissing my heritage as hogwash” Lea suggested and he made a strangled noise in his throat. “Besides, we can assume from the threat he gave Bella? That it is the main reason we haven’t been attacked yet.”

She looked questioningly at him about the name.

“Bellatrix and yes, it would mean you're not on his list to personally kill” he answered, raising a brow at her expectantly.

“Albus threatened you when we found out about Silas. I kept quiet in fear you would shut me out and to give you time…” Lea began, hoping he wouldn’t shut her out and give her some answers.

“I guess I need to give you an explanation due to our change in circumstances” he said, taking a deep breath. “In exchange you tell me why your uncle and grandfather hates Albus so much.”

“You’ll need something stronger for that talk” Lea answered and he squinted his eyes, unsure of what she was saying. 

“That bad?” Severus asked, she nodded.

“Grandpa Abe gave him his crooked nose” Lea said and his brows raised to hide behind his hair. “As I said you need something stronger.”

“An answer for an answer?” Severus suggested and he moved to look at her more easily. She nodded. “I grew up in Cokeworth with little money with my parents, I hated my father and he hated everything. I saw a girl perform accidental magic in the park one day and told her she was a witch, she ran off thinking I was being rude. She returned later with questions and we became friends.”

He wasn’t looking at her as he spoke before stopping to look towards her.

“Now you, why did your grandfather break Albus’s nose?” Severus asked. 

“It was at their sister’s, my great aunt’s funeral. He, Albus and Albus’s boyfriend got into a duel over Albus wanting to take my great aunt Ariana with them on a political campaign not caring about her condition or what she wanted. She tried to stop the duel and died as a result, no one knows who killed her” Lea answered and Severus seemed to be in a deep thought before continuing.

“Her name was Lily Evans and she was the girl in the picture mother was showing. She was muggleborn and stopped being friends with me after we had an argument after I called her something unforgivable” he continued, all though hesitant on what word he used. “Why does your uncle hate Albus?”

“He and Hagrid got expelled and framed for murder by my grandfather...I mean…” Lea said, only to hesitate on the last part. She knew he didn’t like either of his names being said. 

“The dark lord” Severus said for her and she nodded. 

“Albus had Wulfric spy on him and use his authority as head boy to try to halt whatever my grandfather was doing. But Wulfric and Hagrid were caught raising an acromantula on school grounds. Grandfather had all the staff wrapped around his finger apart from Albus and had grandmother with him when  _ they were caught _ ” Lea explained and a scowl appeared across Severus’s face. “Albus hadn’t defeated Grindelwald yet and didn’t have much say in the headmaster’s decision. My uncle admits the acromantula was grounds enough for expulsion and should have gotten rid of it when he caught Hagrid with it but agreed to sneak it off grounds instead.”

“I see...you said Albus was put on notice years ago as well?” Severus pressed and Lea nodded. 

“It's about my uncle...I want to but I can’t tell you about that, all I will say he saved me and Albus was delayed. Several days late, in fact. My uncle was put in a situation because of it” Lea hesitated and Severus paused for a moment.

“I won’t press the issue, you owe him and I have my own suspicions on what that situation was” Severus said, holding his tongue. He then went silent and his brow furrowed. “You gave two answers...Lily went to marry a man I hated, who made my life hell and because of my stupidity I joined the Death Eaters for respect, power and wealth so I could impress her.”

Lea’s stomach turned but she remained silent. 

“I provided information that put her family in mortal danger and I realised my mistake, so I turned to Albus and offered my life. She however was killed with her husband and Albus helped me find a reason to keep going…” Severus continued, he started to shake and tears began to fall down his cheeks.

Lea moved to comfort him and he wrapped his arms around her, sobbing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This and the last chapter were shorter than intended, I’m not sure how big the next chapter will be but I will see how it goes.
> 
> Thought it would better to have the owls decide, to give them more agency and develop their character.
> 
> Hope you are all doing well


	13. Trial by troll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halloween holds some surprises for the Snapes

The post arrived and with it two large feathered forms swooped down onto the staff table with ease, one took the letter it had and pushed the letter straight into Severus’s face as if it was the most important letter it had ever sent in it’s life. 

Lea chuckled as Severus complained at the owl as he took the letter quickly from him, Prince seemed pleased with himself as he looked for Pepper’s approval who had already dropped her letter in Lea’s awaiting hands and left the table. 

He left quickly after her and the table burst into laughter. 

“What to swap owls?” Severus asked and Lea snorted in amusement before shaking her head. 

Another bout of laughter happened in response and Severus looked at his letter to find out what the fuss was about.

Lea opened her letter from Ollivander about the issues she was having with Hebridean Black dragon heartstrings and that her last three wands with it were not up to standard. She did however get eleven other wands approved, giving her a stock of twenty wands. A wand each of unicorn hair and Welsh green dragon heartstring. 

She looked up to see Severus scowling at his letter. 

“Food. Of course he would see it as important. It will arrive on Saturday morning” Severus grumbled, he then took a deep glup of tea. “How's yours?”

“Hebridean Black dragon heartstrings are providing some issues and Ollivander has suggested a few things. I will be working with elm and ebony, then trying again” Lea answered and took an apple for later. 

He finished his tea and saw her clean plate, he got up and they said their goodbyes to the staff before going to work. 

She was unsure how today would go since it meant differently to him, she had complimented the pumpkins Hagrid had spent so much time growing and Severus had agreed with her but she saw ever so often the sadness in his eyes.

She almost was glad Prince was acting daft at the moment, a distraction from everything was needed.

As soon as the door to the classroom closed behind them, Severus’s arms wrapped around her waist and she felt his breath on her neck. 

“Stay with me, I don’t want to be alone” he whispered so low, that she almost didn’t hear it. She smiled and nodded, a kiss reached her ear then her neck until he spun her around gently to have her back against the door.

His touches were gentle as he kissed her, his right hand slipping under her robes and teasing her thighs.

His hand brushed against her panties, she took a sharp intake of breath and his fingers slipped down into them.

Her mouth opened for him as his fingers dove inside her, his tongue entering her mouth and exploring as he pumped his fingers inside her.

Her hips moved with his hand and she was moaning in his mouth and she was shaking in a couple of moments, her neck flushed.

He removed his hand and cleaned up the evidence before leading her to sit at his desk in the classroom. 

To say she was uncertain how to act afterward was an understatement as he taught as if nothing had happened and had her marking, he barely edited her marks now. 

Severus had ended up telling Albus everything that evening, they couldn’t risk him thinking that Severus had turned coat. The reaction however had Severus exclaiming on his return to her that he fully understood why her grandfather had upgraded his threat to Albus and had wanted to have a go at his nose himself, Albus wasn’t suggesting sending her away or planning to interfere with their interactions with the Malfoys. 

He merely suggested making them godparents to Silas, they would have to but for Albus to suggest it when he knew they would try to influence him to replace the dark lord. 

‘The advantages to it’ he had said, ‘the protection you would gain’ and best of all ‘it was a good thing’.

‘What happened to hiding her away?’ Severus had asked him and Albus merely relayed that her father had come to complain and informed him of Irene's words that the dark lord would look for her himself. That with this new information from Lucius they knew for certain he wanted his family alive and the more favour they gathered with the advocates of the old ways the more value they had to the dark lord.

A tool, Albus was planning to use them as pawns on a board. She felt sick at the thought, the way he talked to Severus about her, sent shivers down her spine.

He would talk lovingly about her to Severus but would also have her play her part for the greater good. 

_ This is why grandpa Abe was always angry at him, ‘they always end up worse off in the end’ he had warned her as a little girl. _

Severus had given a lot of details to be aware of after he returned, that Lucius was a cheery and impulsive drunk, that suggesting anything you don’t want him to do will likely result in the opposite. 

That Avery and Muliber were prone to trouble and suggesting it after a few drinks. 

That Narcissa is a very perceptive woman that Lucius trusts her with everything, that once she sees fit she may become a mother hen to those she cares about.

Abraxas was silent most of the time and would calculate each potential relationship he had meticulously. 

This was a different game, she would need to learn all these details and more if they were to succeed. 

A golden goose she would need to be and draw people to her like bees round a honey pot. 

Severus had put it into steps, working on building her career and contacts while building trust with their house. 

He seemed to think that building trust with the students would come naturally as more time passed and told her that her next objective would be to befriend Narcissa. 

Having her support and being taken under her wing would be beneficial on it’s own but that wasn’t the only thing they were after, they needed Narcissa to teach her the ins and outs of being in high society. 

Lea would then need to learn what friendships that would benefit her and who to cast aside. Excluding her associations at Hogwarts and for work of course, she can be forgiven for those. 

This unfortunately would benefit the dark lord but the objective was to gain his trust and backstab him with the knowledge they gained.

There was also Brutus and Sarissa, they needed to build up support else they would be in more trouble than a few letters. If those two started gathering support then the slander against her and Severus could become more severe.

The next board meeting for the governors could vote on their removal and Albus would have his hands tied. 

They were lucky that Rita dismissed the story as garbage that she couldn’t sell to the masses but the damage was still there as the letters they had gathered were concerning.

They had support from Lucius so far and needed the other eleven to support them. 

Farley and  Murton were trying to get onto the board, they were the more vocal in their dislike of her, long after their howlers. Surprisingly, Augusta Longbottom had submitted her application after theirs, with a letter commending Lea’s efforts and stated that her grandson’s school work had improved from the wand and the boost of confidence he had gained. 

She heard the bell and Severus sat with her, looking at the huge pile she had built in a short amount of time. 

“Keep this up and I’ll have nothing left to mark this week,” Severus said, sending the pile to the office ready to be handed back at a later date. He stopped and raised a concerned brow at her. “Are you two okay?”

“Just thinking about everything” Lea sighed.

“Careful, you will tire yourself out doing that” he snorted, at least he found something to be amused by.

“To be honest I want to sleep in tomorrow and avoid the workshop for a bit” Lea grumbled and he placed his hand on her back to comfort her. 

“Nauseous?” he asked, beginning to root through his robes with his free hand.

“A little but not enough for a potion” she answered but he gave her one anyway, giving her a look that made it clear he would push the issue. She downed the vial quickly but it barely numbed the feeling, she still felt off. 

She kissed his cheek and he held her for the last remaining minutes of their break. 

“We will be going out tonight, so no one would blame you for sleeping in tomorrow morning” Severus informed her and she snorted.

“Even with a lay in, we still have a lot of work to do....we will never get a day off, will we?” Lea answered and he nodded.

“Even our holidays will be busy. Honestly, I’m looking forward to retiring in a nice home in some far away forest with you. Savouring your body at every opportunity given to me” Severus said, smirking down at her.

“I look forward to it” she answered and he gave her a quick kiss on the lips before getting up to deal with his next class. 

She continued marking until lunch and it began to look as if their weekend would be free from marking for a change and they could catch up with the other tasks they had pushed to the side. Maybe they could take a walk near the lake and gather some ingredients while being able to relax a little after, enjoying the view. 

Quirrell had been quiet of late but she had noticed him watching her more of late, he seemed to be hiding annoyance at not being able to talk her at Diagon Alley over a month ago extremely well but she could tell he was biding his time for Severus to be called away on matters he couldn’t return from easily.

In fact Severus had informed her of Albus’s warnings about Quirrell, that he had been asking a lot of questions about her and been looking through the library’s collection of newspapers for anything about her. 

Her grandmother’s book had even been taken out by him and Sybil had complained profusely about the book on seeing him with it in the staff room.

She was tempted to ask her father to look into matters but she suspected Albus had already done so, since her father had been so quiet for so long. In fact she would have suspected him and her grandfather Aberforth to have visited by now. 

Her mother had been vague on what they had been doing recently, her grandmother included. They just stated they were doing what needed to be done and had been visiting her uncle Wulfric a lot, outside the Hog’s head business hours of course.

After lunch was more of the same and both of them had almost tired themselves out completely when they arrived at dinner.

The bats were everywhere and Lea noticed Severus sneering at them as they made their way to the staff table.

Albus took one look at them and nodded, seeing they were too tired for conversation and just wanted to eat. 

The feast appeared on the golden platters as they had done at the start of the school term and Severus went to dish up some sweetcorn onto her plate when they saw Quirrell rushing into the hall, turban slightly slanted and his face fixed in terror. 

Lea barely processed what he had said slumped at the table. “Troll...the dungeons...thought you ought to know.”

Before he could collapse onto the floor his eyes met her ruby red eyes, her hands shook in anger as the hall descended into chaos.

Then several purple firecrackers brightened and silenced the great hall, they turned to Albus instructing the prefects to take the students to their dormitories immediately and the rest of the teachers to follow him to the dungeons to deal with the troll. 

“Go with our house. Keep them calm and safe” Severus whispered into her ear in a harsh tone and she knew it wasn’t just for their sake. 

She rushed to their Slytherin prefects only to catch the Potter boy’s intense and speculative gaze as she did so.

“Our dormitory is in the dungeons!” Malfoy yelled, red in anger and the rest of the Slytherins started to argue, Lea brought up her wand to send out several green firecrackers to quieten them down as her great uncle had done.

“Now I have your attention, Prefects! Head count!” she ordered and the prefects rushed to count the students as she summoned Severus’s book on students to start checking off the list. She sighed in relief when all were accounted for. “That’s all of you. Now prefects, which of you can cast the Conjunctivitis Curse?”

All hands went up and her shoulders relaxed a little.

“Shield charm?” Lea asked and four out six hands went up. She then split them into three groups ensuring that they had at least one capable of the shield charm amongst them. “Now I’m sure you are aware of trolls resistance to most spells and guessed from my question as well as from hopefully class that their weakness is their eyes. Though I doubt that knowledge will be needed since we will be taking the emergency route to the common room which before any of start are both highly protected by spells. I will be checking the dorms if they are secure regardless.”

Malfoy and the first years relaxed at this.

“Tradition dictates in emergencies like this, prefects check the bedrooms in case, Mrs Snape” Gemma Farley interjected, looking at her sternly and Flint nodded. “We can’t allow you to check the dorms on your own, especially with a child on the way.”

“We have to insist, Mrs” Flint agreed and with how fiercely they were looking towards her, Lea relented and nodded before directing the students into position. 

They marched to just outside the hall to a painting of a woman with a long greying black plait that went to her knees, in long green robes with the same ‘sort of engagement ring’ on her wedding ring finger. Her obsidian eyes met hers and saw the students behind her before nodding and making her painting swing aside, letting them enter the dark passageway. 

There was room for two students to walk beside each other and the prefects were split where two were at the back, two in the middle and two at front with her. 

They marched in silence while her, Farley and Flint led the front with their wands illuminating the way. 

“So how will we know there's a troll?” a female first year behind her asked. 

“Trolls smell like excrement, you’ll know” Lea answered and that seemed to quiet them for a while.

“How did they get in?” they then asked and her head clicked on it was Parkinson who was asking.

“We’ll find out and when we do,  _ they will pay _ ” Lea answered in a dangerous tone, her eyes had remained red the whole time and how could they not when someone had put the whole school at risk. 

“It could have been Peeves” Malfoy suggested and Lea shook her head.

“No. Even Peeves wouldn’t dare to do such a thing, not unless he wanted to face Albus and the bloody baron’s wrath” Lea answered, a scowl had spread across her face only to subside when they reached the back of the painting. “Yell if you need backup.”

The two prefects rushed off and they waited for a few moments before they returned. 

They slowly filled the room and they did another headcount, she closed the book, relieved that their house was fine. 

A large thud sounded above. “They found it” she said under their breath but it was clear the students heard her. 

She then sent the book away and took out her wand to make a circle motion above her head to release a corporal raven out of her wand that flew at great speed through the ceiling above.

She froze,  _ a raven? _

“What was that!” Malfoy demanded, grabbing her attention away from her patronus. 

“A patronus charm but why did you cast it? It’s for chasing off dementors” Farley asked, her brow furrowed and Lea turned to them.

“It’s uncommonly known that you can adapt them to send messages too, I’m informing Professor Snape that everyone is safe in the common room” Lea informed them and they all silently looked towards her. “Once the other houses have confirmed they have made their way to their dormitories safely, the kitchens will send us food.”

_ It was an unwise decision in the long run to let them know it was possible, she had to be honest but she needed to inform him they were all safe and fast. Her ring was to be used if she was in danger and needed him to come to her, he could misinterpret it as the troll was with her because the information she could send him was so limited.  _

She could warm his ring and he would know her location, that was it.

“Mrs! You need to sit down!” Farley insisted and they made room for her on a nearby couch, only for them all to sit around her.

“So what other cool spells do you know?” Draco piped up, his eyes lit up in excitement...as was the other students. 

Their eyes were all gazing towards her and it was unnerving.

“All Professor Quirrell does is teach us theory” Crabbe complained and the other students nodded in agreement. 

“You’ll get her in trouble, children!” a stern female voice called out to them and they turned to Evelin Prince in her portrait scowling at them causing the students to look annoyed at her. 

“Unfortunately, I can suggest books but not much else, your best asking Severus he’s more experienced than I but he will be limited to what Professor Quirrell is currently teaching at the moment” Lea informed them and there were many disappointed looks.

“I’ll take it, do you mind if we ask for book suggestions after we had time to think about it?” Farley asked and Lea nodded.

That’s when the food arrived and Lea sighed in relief at it’s good timing.

Her ring warmed and she sensed Severus was in his office, she gave Evelin a look while playing with her wedding ring that told her what she needed to know. 

“The troll is gone. Professor Snape requires your presence dear, I’ll keep watch with the prefects. No need to worry” Evelin announced and Lea got up, seeing a few goodbyes before making her way to their office. 

She entered and saw him slumped on the desk with a bunch of medical supplies next to him, she rushed to him. 

He showed her his bloody leg. “Follow my instructions exactly, it’s poisonous and magic will only agitate it. I’ve taken the antidote for tonight and will need to take it nightly until it completely heals.”

She nodded and started cleaning and disinfecting the wound. Once he was bandaged up, she helped him into their chambers and onto their couch. 

She rushed to heat them up some dinner, a chicken hot pot will do. She sent two glasses and a jug of water to the coffee table while getting everything ready for dinner. 

He ate dinner fast and rested his leg while she finished hers. 

Once she sent her plate to the kitchen he stopped her from leaving by signalling for her to sit down.

“Your patronus is a raven?” he asked, watching her carefully.

“I...I...changed a lot since I last used it, I mean…” she began hesitantly, she assumed he knew what it was before and…

_ She had, with her work and her growing independence from her family. _

He pulled her to him and locked lips with her to her surprise. “Ride me” he growled after releasing her lips, he vanished his robes leaving him bare for her to see. He pulled her to his lap, he winced and she went to get up but he held her there. “It’s alright, you’ll need to do most of the work that's all.”

“But your leg!” she objected, he shook his head.

“Please…” he asked shakily, she saw his cock was at full mast, twitching and leaking precum. “I need this.”

She paused and then nodded,  _ he knew his limits _ . “Tell me to stop if you need me to and I will.”

He nodded and pulled her robes up to vanish her panties. 

She reached below and rubbed herself, she was already wet from the kiss but needed to be ready for him. She gasped and shivered when she reached the angle she liked.

He was watching her closely, his eyes focused on her hand movements. 

Her breathing returned to normal and she grabbed him to position him under her, he was twitching in her palm.

Then his tip entered and his head rolled back. “Yessssss” he hissed to her surprise, he was being more vocal than he usually was. She sank lower and he moaned, then she sat with him fully sheathed inside her.

He twitched as did his lips, his eyes looked at her endearly as he brushed his hand across her butt cheeks with his hands.

She moved and he groaned, taking hold of her ass now. She continued slowly and he hissed another yes.

She started to move faster, using his shoulders to support her and his vocalisation of his enjoyment grew. In fact he started to use his hands to help her move to a pace he wanted, his eyes not leaving her body.

Then she let a moan, her cheeks immediately flushed on doing so and she had to remind herself this wasn’t her first time. 

“Again...Talk to me” he growled under his breath, he was getting louder and she had the sudden fear of being heard. “No one…can...hear…”

It happened again and she was beginning to really feel him at this new angle, she felt so in control.

She reached down and he shook his head. “I want you...to come...from...me...alone.”

He moved her ass to dive deep inside her again, reaching deep enough to elicit a moan from her.

His eyes shone in realisation and he smirked only to start to increase the intensity of their movements.

She started to quiver and she didn’t know how loud she was being or that she had taken control again soon after he increased their pace until she clamped around him to scream. She shook and everything went out focus for a few moments except the feeling of being filled, one large splurt at a time. It only brought her further over the edge as he held her there shaking.

Her vision cleared and she was met with his soft gaze looking down at her with his arms around her.

He was smiling and she couldn’t help but smile back. He kissed her, slipping his tongue in her mouth and she lost sense of time for those few moments.

It wasn’t until she sat up and got off him she saw the mess.

“A bath, could you wash me?” he asked her and she nodded.

She helped him up to go to the bathroom and set up the tub while he leaned against the wall for support. 

When it was ready she helped him into the tub and started to clean him slowly, he was limited in what he could do because of the leg. 

“It won’t affect you if you join me” he informed her and she shook her head.

“Let me take care of you, tonight and you can tell me everything tomorrow morning,” she told him and he hummed in agreement. 

She washed his hair soon after when she was satisfied he was clean enough and he closed his eyes, seemingly enjoying himself. She had already waved herself clean,  _ this was about him tonight and him alone _ .

It wasn’t until he was in new bandages and he was fast asleep she realised something and forgot something in its place.

_ They hadn’t visited Lily tonight. With the troll and his injury, they had been distracted. She would talk to him tomorrow after some rest. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone’s favourite politics...argh, I will admit I am frustrated with how they take a step forward, they find something else to cause them trouble.
> 
> Also maths and in story dates are an issue in the books so I’m thinking along this magic messed up the calendar in the wizarding world, so some days are missing and some months are longer than others.
> 
> Jokes aside, I tried to make sense of it for this fics set of events. It’s at this point, I rather spend time concerned on other parts of the fic than pull my hair out of it.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter was shorter than I expected but I’m actually okay with it. Can’t wait for the seeds planted here in this chapter to sprout into something bigger. 
> 
> We got quidditch and more on the horizon, I’m just going to see how large the next one is. I’m suspecting that a large chapter is waiting for me soon. 
> 
> Hope you are all safe!


	14. Eyes like hers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Quidditch comes a lot of trouble...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long, a lot of things got in the way and this chapter had to go through a lot of edits. 
> 
> Hopefully the length helps make up for it. 
> 
> Hope you are all well.

She opened the door, carrying the tray and placed it on the bedside table gently. He stirred and saw the tray with full english breakfast and a glass of orange juice.

“You eaten?” he grumbled and she nodded, he put the tray on his lap to begin eating. “I thought you were going to have a lay in.”

“I was but I was thinking it might be better to rethink our arrangement and have you rest today” Lea answered, avoiding his gaze. He put his fork down and she felt his hand on hers.

“Please sit” he said and she sat on the edge of the bed next to him. “I will not be walking about as much as I usually do and be sitting most of the time. I can't have you helping for another reason now...it’s not because I think you can’t, it’s the fact that some of the students' mistakes are a lot more dangerous for you both now.”

Her hand rested on her small bump and he nodded. 

She then remembered and paled.

“We didn’t…”

“I know, we’ll visit Lily once I’ve healed. The troll and  _ Potter’s _ antics delayed us” he interrupted, his eyes were mournful until he mentioned Potter’s name. “Quirrell let it in, I can’t prove it but I headed him off on the third floor and got bitten by Hagrid’s cerberus.”

He exhaled seemingly trying to contain his anger.

“Yes, that damn fool’s dangerous obsession of obtaining potentially lethal pets is going to do permanent damage one day or  _ get someone killed _ ” he spat, his hands gripping the sheets tightly, turning his knuckles white. “We know Quirrell is after the stone and interested in your heritage...even more reason for you to avoid him.”

She nodded and sat with him as he ate silently, glaring into the sheets. She went to take the tray after he had finished but he stopped her, he raised a brow at her as if to warn her about challenging him.

Giving in, she got up and found their mail already on the coffee table. She shifted through it and had just opened her letter from her uncle when Severus hobbled over to lay on the sofa.

“Anything I should know?” Severus asked as he propped his leg up and summoned the box of medical supplies for her to use. 

She handed him a letter from Lucius with three howlers before she started tending to his leg. He waited for her to finish before beginning reading Lucius’s letter, his brow raised and he placed a silencing charm around himself before listening to the howlers.

She watched him grimace at each one before letting her hear again. 

“You made waves, good ones. Lucius is impressed, Farley and her goons are not” Severus explained, his lips twitched into a large smirk and there was a victorious glint in his eyes. “Apparently her daughter wrote a sternly worded letter to her father, commending your actions last evening along with several other students.”

Then she remembered. “I may have offered to suggest some books and told them you knew defence magic better than I, that…”

“Lea. I’ve been showing up the other defence professors for a while in secret and with Quirrell’s current curriculum they are bound to seek _ other help _ ” he cut her off, completely unfazed by the news. “Especially with your performance, taking command and calming the students down, all while educating them.”

There was something else...she paused for a moment.

“Severus...why were you happy that my patronus had changed to a raven?” Lea hesitantly asked and he sat up. “Is yours a…”

He hesitated for a few moments, only to seemingly swallow down the fear building up inside him. 

“Was” he said, not looking towards her. 

“Was it because of Lily?” Lea asked suddenly and he froze.  _ Fear? But why? She was his past. _

“I..I...I want...you” he struggled to say, he became paler and looked like he was panicking inside.

“I know, I doubt you would have knocked me up overwise” Lea said half jokingly, taking his hands to try and comfort him. He breathed a sigh of relief and a small smile spread across his lips. “You're scared I would be upset? She is your past and we are...your future. We are all part of your life in some way. Lily helped you become the man I know today.”

She moved his hands to her stomach to emphasise the part on his future, he took a sharp intake of breath. His hands did not move and he looked at her unsure.

“You're not mad? About…”

“No, I only wish you didn’t fear my reaction or feel the need to hide things from me” Lea answered and he pursed his lips for a moment. 

“You need to improve your occlumency” he said abruptly, she nodded. She knew she had to and could accept that as a condition. There was a pause. “Mine was a raven before...before she died.”

Lea blinked in shock before tuning completely scarlet. 

“I saw it and I may...either way...well..this would mean” he struggled to get out of the words as the gears in her head turned on the sudden realisation... _ she was in love with him _ .

_ It was early...too early? She was carrying his child. Their child. They had known each other a long time before...but that had been different, there had been a distance between them. They had been living with each other, maybe that was it...Or was it that they didn’t need to hide who they both were from each other? _

“It’s complicated...not having to hide who I am, played a part. My eyes and my inherited tongue for a start” Lea stated, she didn’t look at him but she felt him take her hands.

“About your tongue. I’ve seen how it affects you and I know I can never speak to snakes but I want to understand you” he said, the last few words hit her in the chest and she pounced on him.

Her lips were on his hungrily and she vanished his robes and her underwear to take hold of him suddenly. 

He practically hissed as he entered her and her hips began moving, pumping him in and out off her.

His hands were firmly on her buttocks as she rode him and elicited words of approval until they shuddered together. They stayed their moments later until they realised the mess they had made. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


Lea appeared in a burst of green flame in Ollivander’s store with a letter in hand, she dusted herself off and made her way to the chair made available to her before handing him the letter. 

Her uncles had offered a special business arrangement for Garrick, Mykew and Shikoba for helping her.

The advice Shikoba had given her had helped her in spades with her ‘magical awareness’. It wasn’t the language, it was the emotion she was projecting when speaking it when working with her wands. 

He opened it and he nodded. “I assume you sent the offer to the others as well?”

“Yes, however I need to ask for a commission from you. I can’t do big projects on my own at the moment and don’t have experience in making walking sticks” Lea answered and Ollivander raised a brow at this. “Severus has hurt his leg recently and it will take a long while to heal...”

“Say no more. You can stay and I can teach you how, if you like?” Ollivander said and she nodded ethusatically. 

The day was long and Lea asked as many questions as she could while taking notes and helping while she could. He even passed on some advice involving staffs and he showed her a few tips on dealing with dragon heart strings while looking through her notes.

To say she was exhilarated by the experience was an understatement, her eyes were lit up like she was a little kid on Christmas and when it was over she was standing dusting herself in her home living room, eager to present the gift to Severus only to see he was already waiting for her on the sofa. 

He saw the black walking stick in her hands made of ebony with raven carved into the top with it’s back acting as support for Severus’s hand. 

Severus was looking towards it and his lips twitched. “I assume you stayed to learn how he made it?”

“Of course” Lea answered, handing him the walking stick which he immediately tested and then used it to get up to greet her. A peck on the lips and a hand on her back slowly moving her to sit with him. 

“At least you had fun today” he grumbled.

“They were that bad?” Lea asked, he nodded enthusiastically as his eyes told another story. “I guess...there's nothing for it but to make it up to you somehow so today at least ends on a high note.”

“I know a few notes you can reach” he answered, pulling her into his lap after putting his stick to the side. “In fact I can help you reach them.”

He placed a kiss on her neck and she moved to kiss his lips but she stopped. 

She paled and his eyes immediately widened as the feeling ran through her body. “Are you alright?” he asked as he quickly looked her over as she regained her breath.

“Just tired. I….feel...drained...thats the word...I’m…” Lea managed to say and he wrapped his arms around her.

She felt her eyelids threatening to fall as she laid in his arms. “Silas is draining you, I take it?” he asked and she nodded, nuzzling into his neck. 

She didn’t realise how drained she was until she woke up later in bed with a tray of hot piping food. 

* * *

  
  


“You took the book?” she asked, a brow raised as she tended to his leg. 

It was healing slowly and he was more active with his walking stick but she silently wished he would take a break just for a little bit. However he had taken on more work and would not budge, even for her.

The whole weekend he had spent marking, she had managed to get him to allow her to help him with that at least. 

After Halloween he was mostly complaining about his leg and how reckless Potter and his friends had been with the troll, that they could have warned a prefect or a teacher about Granger.

“Yes, the boy is reckless. There's no telling what damage he may have already done to the book already” he complained and Lea resisted the urge to try to reason with him. He hated Potter with a passion and would not back down on the matter either. “Irma will likely fret over it, she has a hard enough job as it is with the chaos the students bring to the library. To think he would bring it outside in this weather.”

He sighed and ran a hand through his black hair.

There was a knock at the door and Lea was still in the middle of tending to Severus’s leg, she was going to call out when Severus shot her a warning look.

_ Potter? _

Another knock and she continued with his leg. He suddenly flinched in pain and she looked up apologetically at him.

“That damn dog! How are you supposed to keep an eye on three heads at once?” Severus continued to complain but stopped when he saw the door was ajar and a pair of green eyes on the other side watching them.

“POTTER!” Severus roared, his face twisting in fury and he went to hide his leg but Lea stopped him so she could finish bandaging it. This only upset him more as he appeared vulnerable to the boy as she did so but she could not have him mess up his own leg and make it take longer to heal. 

She did not need to look at the boy to know he had gulped, her husband was terrifying when pissed. He was angry but he had been clear he would never harm her and their child.

“I just wondered if I could get my book back” Potter said just as she finished bandaging his leg and he shoved his robes down immediately after he was allowed to. 

Severus’s tone was dangerously low as he reigned in his temper “Get out.”

“My book” Potter said, trying to stay calm and firm. 

“You can get it back after detention if it’s that important to you Mr Potter” Severus said coldly as he grabbed his stick to stand. He took the book and gave the boy a sharp look, making it clear it was his cue to leave. “I will inform you later, when.”

The boy left after that and they made their way back to class. He was silent all the way and only talked in class when needed, even the other students could sense he was in a sour mood. 

Dinner was more of the same until Minerva asked about her prized seeker getting detention.

“He didn’t leave the staffroom when told, Minerva” Lea explained.

“I had docked points beforehand and  _ Potter _ was trying to get his library book back” Severus almost growled and Minerva just nodded before giving Lea a knowing look. “He’ll have detention with me some point after the match, Minerva. Then he can get the book back.”

Lea noticed the boy looking up at them, particularly her. Almost if he was questioning her or suspected her of something.  _ No, he did suspect her of something. _ He had been watching her carefully after Halloween as if he was trying to remember something, it was her eyes that seemed to be drawing his attention the most.

_ Why?...her eyes were red when she caught his gaze on Halloween during the troll incident.  _

_ He was about what one when he met the dark lord? He wouldn’t remember his eyes. Could he? No...he couldn’t...he was too young.  _

But the nagging feeling remained, that the boy could make the connection between her and the dark lord. 

Severus and Minerva were discussing his punishment while the gears turned in her head. 

_ No...her eyes would bring up alarm bells for most people for their colour and the way Severus normally acted likely didn’t help. He didn’t know about fluffy so he wouldn’t about the stone. _

“Lea, how is the wand work going?” Filius asked suddenly, grabbing her attention, she smiled back at him.

“I’ve made four wands this week, but I will be reducing my workload now. Since even Garrick is insisting on it” Lea explained and Filius nodded as Poppy shot her a stern look. 

“I’ll hold you to that,” Severus said and Lea’s cheeks flushed. “One wand a week.”

“Two”

“One”

“Three”

“That’s not how negotiating works, Lea. One a week and my dessert after dinner” Severus insisted and Lea looked at him in shock. 

“You're holding it up for ransom, now?” she asked in mock offence, Severus’s lips twitched. 

“And a reasonable request” he added and her eyes lit up. “We are in agreement?”

“Yes, I will hold you to that request” Lea stated and the rest of the staff let out a chuckle. 

“As will I be holding you to your side of the deal” Severus answered, before sliding her some dessert. 

The storm inside him seemed to calm for that moment but she knew that sooner rather than later it would return and he would have to deal with the emotions he was keeping in.

* * *

  
  


That morning Minerva was talking up the Gryffindor team at breakfast and Severus was more than willing to meet her enthusiasm with a few comments of his own. 

“Willing to bet on it?” Minerva said with a determined shine in her eyes. 

“Of course. Same as always?” Severus answered, his tone was cold but his eyes had a playful shine to them. 

_ A rare sight, that she hoped to see more often. Or not...when he became playful with her, it was either to mess with her or to leave her tired and panting. Hopefully the latter. _

“Yes and Severus we will win this time” Minerva said firmly.

“That is yet to be seen,” Severus said, returning to his breakfast. He noticed that Lea had cleaned her platter and was busy drinking water as she observed him. Her cheeks flushed and his lips twitched. He turned back to Minerva as if nothing happened. “Just to be sure to be ready to pay up.”

“Same goes for you Severus” Minerva replied before finishing off her plate and giving Lea a playful smile. 

Severus drank the last of his tea and got up, indicating for Lea to follow. They walked past the Gryffindor table and he stopped behind Potter who immediately turned to face them. 

The boy seemed to keep his dislike of them to himself and remained quiet with a suspecting look on his face as he watched them

“I will send notice by owl when your detention will be after the match Potter, let be known loss of limb will not excuse you” Severus informed him before sweeping across the hall with her trailing behind. 

As they made their way to the classrooms she wondered where all the hate the two of them had for each other came from and if there was anything that could be done to quell it. 

It seemed to be almost instinctual for Severus. If that was the case, therapy might be able to help. __

_ But how would she suggest it? He might shut her out for mentioning it.  _

They reached the classroom, then the office and when they reached the living room to relax before leaving for the match, he stopped.

“You're thinking about something” he stated, then sat down on the sofa with his injured leg on a stall and his stick stuck upright next to the sofa with a powerful sticking charm.

“I know, a dangerous thing” Lea answered with a cheeky smile before coming to sit next him. He draped an arm around her and had her move closer.  _ Maybe a different approach? _ “Severus...I was wondering...not that I noticed anything but have you suggested family therapy with…”

“My mother?” he cut her hesitant questioning off, raising a brow at her and she nodded. “Yes. Yes, I have. But she refuses unless father attends and...I know that's not the  _ only reason _ you asked.” 

“The hate you have...for Potter. Is intense…” she began, looking away from him.

“Intense? The boy is reckless. He…” Severus spat, he turned from her as he tried to reign in his temper.

“I know. I believe you. I support you” Lea interrupted him,  _ she couldn’t have him shutting her out. Not with the progress they had made.  _ “It’s the fact he is Lily’s son and you don’t act this way with far louder and troublesome students.”

_ He paused. He was thinking. Should she leave? _

“His father was let the run of the place and went about terrorising anyone he saw fit. Even me” he answered and Lea blinked in surprise. He snarled at the floor. “I can’t let Potter get away with anything.”

“I see…” she said under her breath, if it was this ingrained in his mind then it must have been brutal. 

“I don’t want to talk about them but I know I will have to some day. I…” Severus said only for Lea to plant a kiss on his cheek. 

“Take your time. It must have been painful” she reassured him. 

He nodded, he stopped and his body tensed. “You don’t think I’m weak?”

“No. I think you are braver and stronger than you think. Not many survived what they did” she stated and he looked up at her, his eyes widened. 

A smile spread across his lips as he took her face in his hands and kissed her. He pulled her on onto him and her arms wrapped around his neck as they continued to kiss. 

He pulled up for air and panted for a few moments. “We need to stop or you’ll never make it to the match.”

“Yes. I will need to be able to sit so I can support our house” Lea muttered, her disappointment was evident as she was enjoying herself and the closeness she was feeling to him. __

_ She did love her house and wanted to support them, it’s just the timing.  _

There was a rare chuckle from him that if you were not paying attention you would miss it. 

“You're almost as bad as me now” he growled.

“It’s not my fault, I have fun” Lea countered cheekly and he snorted. “In fact I believe we should have some more tonight while we celebrate our house’s victory.  _ Alone _ .”

“I was planning to,” he said, raising a brow at her expectantly. “In fact, I wanted to make a bet with you myself.”

“If it’s involving the game today, I know I’ll lose” Lea answered and a smirk spread across his lips. “Come on. I’m not that foolish.”

“No. I know that. Which is why I propose this. A game of wizard chess, I win and you go down on me” he smugly suggested and Lea raised a brow at this.

“You could have just asked and a game of chess sounds fun” Lea answered before brushing her hand across the clothed bulge below, causing him to take a sharp intake of breath. 

“After” he growled under his breath and she retracted her hand, giving him a playful wink as she did so. “Merlin, preserve me. Keep this up and I’ll have to tie you to the bed.” 

She let out a small chuckle at that and bit her lip. “So we have a while before the game, do you want to play or shall we bet our clothes later.”

He summoned the board on that note with all the pieces assembled on the coffee table. It wasn’t until an hour later, he realised why she took him up on his game of chess.

“Check” Lea said to his surprise and he double checked the board. Her pawn had cornered his king and he had no escape. 

“How did you?” he asked in surprise, he had been close to cornering her king and most of her pieces had been taken by him. 

“You underestimated me, Severus,” Lea explained, smiling up at him. “Albus and I used to play a lot when I was younger. I may have also played Minerva a few times, she is an absolute beast at chess.”

Next game she promoted one of her pawns and he had to resign the game. Next she used her queen to turn the tide and demolished his forces. 

He gave in after that and spent the next few moments in silence until he was ready to speak. “I’m surprised you’ve been hiding this from me.”

“I never hid the fact from you, you just never asked to play” Lea answered and he just nodded.

“What other talents have you been hiding?” he asked, arching his left eyebrow at her.

“Skills. I had to be crushed by Albus numerous times at chess to get this good. I can knit and you know I can sew. I’m semi decent at singing, not frog choir worthy and you know I like herbology” Lea replied as she packed away the chess set. He hummed in response and looked at the clock. 

“I never seen you at a quidditch match before...you said I would win a bet with certainty” Severus mused, his eyes shone mischievously. 

“I don’t like quidditch” she said and his jaw dropped like she had slapped him across the face with that comment. “Flying on a broom is not my preferred form of travel either, I would rather fly on the back of a hippogriff. At least a hippogriff can see a spell coming.”

“You don’t like quidditch because of brooms?” Severus spultured, a mix of confusion and horror on his face. 

“Not just that. Players hitting bludgers into the stands. The injuries that players get from playing and how competitive it gets” Lea began listing off her reasons while he was looking at her as if she had grown multiple heads. 

“You're very competitive, Lea” Severus stated.

“Yes. I am but I don’t like how everyone else acts around quidditch” Lea tried to explain and he frowned before just raising his hands in the air.

“Agree to disagree?” he asked and Lea nodded. “It would be a good idea to show up to the first and last quidditch matches for Slytherin each year. The rest, you can avoid.”

He then grabbed the stick and led her out while making sure to take a good glance at her behind as they left. 

“So going down, I can ask for...What about…?” he began to suggest as they exited the office. 

“Win a bet and maybe” Lea cut him off quickly and his lips twitched. 

“Not a no. I guess I’ll have to find something we can both bet on” Severus mused, nodding to himself.

“Not willing to bet on chess?” Lea asked before letting out a small chuckle. 

“No. Strip chess, maybe. But this is something I’m very eager to win” he answered and they made their way to the classroom door. “Maybe a friendly duel when Silas is old enough to be babysat?”

“Careful. You want to win, don’t you? Albus and my family were insistent I be able to hold my own ground” Lea warned him and he snorted in amusement.

“That may be so, Lea. But I have years of experience that can easily topple yours. Besides it will be educational to say the least” he told her sternly, before indicating for them to keep walking. 

They reached the pitch and then the stands in record time, Severus handed her his binoculars as soon as they sat down while whispering for her to keep an eye out for Potter. 

She spotted him on the pitch, pointing him out to Severus and handing the binoculars back to him. 

It was a few moments later they heard the whistle and the players shot up in the air, she felt Severus’s arm reach around her from over her shoulders to pull her close as he watched the game. 

The commentary was from who she now knew was a student called Lee Jordan, who had to be warned by Minerva several times to focus on the game and be impartial. She felt someone’s gaze on her back for just a moment and Severus turned to glare at who she assumed was Quirrell looking to sit down to watch the match.

Then Gryffindor scored and Severus returned to the game, with a foul look on his face. 

Potter was almost hit by a bludger which was soon sent Flint’s way, then the snitch was spotted and she could see now why Minerva had gotten him on to the team. The boy was talented, that was certain as he outsped Slytherin’s own seeker, Higgs. 

Severus’s lips twisted into a snarl until Flint blocked Potter to Lea’s disgust and to Severus’s amusement. He had a proud smirk on his face until Gryffindor got a free shot for Flint’s foul.

“Enjoying the game, Lea?” Severus asked her in a half purr into her ear, his hand on her waist.

“I'd rather be in the know when the match is discussed at the staff table later” Lea answered and Severus’s face dropped. “I understand you want to share your love for the sport with me but I’m attending because you want to be here and to support our house.”   
“For me?” he repeated.

“Yes. Just because we don’t enjoy the same things doesn’t mean we can’t spend time doing them together” Lea noted and he blinked for a moment. “I want you to be happy. Is that such a strange thing to want?”

He was silent in response but moved her closer to him. 

_ He was thinking that was for certain, it would be best to leave him be.  _

She felt eyes on her again but ignored the sensation until it went away only to look up and see why.

Potter’s broom jolted and jolted again.  _ Someone was messing with his broom. _

Slytherin scored and then others started to see, all while she heard Severus muttering under his breath. 

_ A counter curse... _ it only slowed the broom down for less than a second before the broom started moving again _.  _

Severus persisted and continued chanting.

She didn’t know the counter curse and Severus was muttering too low and fast for her to determine the exact words. 

She couldn’t lend her magic, they were incompatible.

_ Her knowledge was combative spells and basic curse deflection aside from the occasional spell her grandmother taught her. The hurling hex...maybe. The caster would need constant eye contact. _

She looked and saw Quirrell’s eyes locked on Potter in deep concentration. 

Then she felt sick, her stomach twisting and threatened to spill over her. 

_ Aim for Quirrell and hope for the best? _

Her neck felt warm and noticed it was her necklace admitting heat,  _ a warning? _

She focused and started muttering a basic counter curse. Nothing that could deal with Potter’s situation but she could hope it would help her. 

It took all but a moment and the feeling subsided only for her to smell burning. Her eyes flickered down to a bushy haired girl with an empty jar and to the bluebell flames on her husband’s robes. 

Before she could act, Severus yelped and the girl went to scoop up the flames into the jar to make a run for it but Lea was faster.

The girl’s feet stopped as their boots were heavily glued down with a snap of Lea’s fingers. 

“That’s enough” Lea called out in an authoritative voice, trying her best to mimic Albus when he was lecturing someone who had the great misfortune of upsetting him. 

The girl looked in horror at Lea’s red eyes and then saw Severus look from the jar of the flames to her.

“Miss Granger” he sneered, his eyes narrowing at her. 

There was a loud cheer as Potter was back on his broom and in the game, Lea looked towards Granger and noticed the victorious glint in her eyes. 

_ Did she think Severus was trying to hurt Potter? _

“I will release your feet in a second and you will sit next to me until the end of the match. Then we will be discussing your punishment with Professor McGonagall” Lea instructed and clicked her fingers to release the girl. 

She thankfully albeit sheepishly, did as she was told. Deciding not to argue with her and sit quietly, seemingly thankful that she didn’t have to sit next to Severus. 

She noticed that Quirrell’s turban looked slanted and saw him sitting back down, giving Granger an odd look. 

_ She must have knocked him over in her rush to help Potter. Thank Merlin, otherwise she would have doomed Potter in her attempt to save him.  _

The other teachers that had been watching returned to watching the match, knowing that the matter was being handled. 

Severus was quiet in his fury, but had accepted Lea’s decision and went back to watching the game also. 

Potter then flew to the ground with a hand over his mouth, but instead of throwing up he coughed up something else. 

He preceded to hold up something golden and waved it about, which she could only assume was the snitch which he confirmed by yelling out to the crowd above. Jordan announced it to the crowd after and Flint seemed to be trying to argue the result to no avail. 

Severus looked pale and as if someone had slapped in the face before grabbing his walking stock to get up while indicating for them to follow. 

“A-A-A moment P-Professor S-Snape, I have t-to discuss her b-behavior as w-well I’m afraid” Quirrell stuttered from behind them making them stop.

Severus turned around, his face was as emotionless and unchanging as stone. “Fine. We’ll both discuss this matter with Professor McGonagall.”

Severus resumed his fast pace again and Quirrell tried to keep pace with them as they descended from the stands to catch Minerva before she could celebrate.

Severus indicated for her to stay with Granger as Quirrell followed him to talk with Minerva, leaving Potter and Weasley an opening to come up and address them. 

“What’s going on, Hermione?” Weasley asked.

“Miss Granger will be able to tell you after lunch,” Lea told them, hoping they wouldn’t make a scene and get into further trouble or give Severus an excuse to give Weasley detention too. 

“We’ll talk later,” Hermione said and her friends got the message. 

Lea watched as they went with Hagrid who gave her a quick nod and smile as he left. 

Then the group of three teachers turned and gave Granger a wary look before going back to talking. 

The girl paled and looked at her feet before speaking again “do you know what kind of punishment it will be?”

“Setting fire to a teacher is considered awful on it’s own. With the addition of the troll incident, it makes matters worse.  _ Especially with the counter curse he was muttering _ ” Lea began listing, she placed emphasis on the last part. The girl froze and Lea saw the colour drain from her face. “It's not just powerful curses that require full attention.”

“I...I…thought he was hurting...” Granger began, tears began spilling from her face as the message got through. 

“I know, stay here for one moment” Lea cut her off, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder as she had seen her great uncle do so many times.

She walked over to the group and Severus shot her a warning glare. 

“There was a misunderstanding, the actions may be severe as would have been the potential consequences of her actions but...Granger does now know the error of her mistake” Lea interjected, Minerva looked over to the now crying student. “A suggestion. Educating her further on the ramifications of her mistake, how she could have acted, the nature of counter curses and the like, may be more benificational in the long run.”

“I agree. Quirinus you can handle that part, as for her punishment that is yet to be decided” Minerva answered as she returned her gaze to Lea. 

“If she isn’t expelled. if Potter hadn’t got…” Severus interjected, a deep scowl on his face. 

“She thought you were behind it, Albus won’t expel her. He would sit her down and explain matters to her then dock points. A lecture from him is more painful than detention or any points you can take from someone” Lea interrupted and he shot a glare towards her. “And after today, Albus will insist on attending the matches as a deterrent to further attempts on Potter.”

“You know this because…” Severus began again.

“He’s my great uncle, Severus. You think he hasn’t disciplined me before?” Lea countered and Severus scowled at her. “And you know I’m right. Go ask him yourself afterwards if you want.”

“I intend to,” Severus snapped. 

“50 points and a month's detention?” Minerva suggested and Severus nodded. “I will be having a chat with Granger on the potential ramifications on her actions and then we can arrange when she will be visiting you, Quirinus.”

She then walked over to Granger and led the girl away gently. Leaving Quirrell with the both of them as the quidditch teams had left the pitch. 

“Quirinus, I think we need a little chat. In private” Severus snarled and Quirrell nodded with a gulp. 

He shot Lea a glare to go and she knew that if she didn’t their impending conversation afterwards would be worse.


	15. Update

I'm sorry about but I've deleted chapter 15, there was a lot issues with it that I noticed after posting and will be rewriting it. 

Again sorry for the inconvenience and the wait for for the rewrite.

Hope you are all well.


	16. Accusations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the match

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about deleting the last chapter but it had a lot wrong with it and came across way too bitter for my liking. I don’t intend to bash the trio, however setting fire to a teacher along with a whole list of things they do...are well considered criminal behavior and Severus Snape’s behaviour in the book is nasty on it’s own.
> 
> This is a almost complete rewrite with some elements the same and lots of elements changed, I hope this will make up for the deleted chapter.

Lea turned and started making her way from them when she heard him. “I-I-I wish t-to speak w-with you as w-well Mrs S-Snape.”

She turned to face Quirrell with a scowl painted across her face only to be matched by her husband.

“No. This is between us. Lea go to our chambers” Severus cut in, moving in front of her to block Quirrell’s view of her.

Before he could speak again, she was across the field and down in the dungeons searching the medicine cabinet in their quarters. She checked the label for a bottle of light pastel green liquid. 

She heard the painting move and Severus’s footsteps to the bedroom, he saw the bottle then turned to go to the bathroom immediately. She followed and he was filling the bath up ready for them, she handed him the bottle which he poured in its entirety into the water with a hiss. 

The room began to fill with the smell of mint and the water began to fill with bubbles. He began to undress only to curse when it came to his trousers, she moved to help him. 

He shook his head and vanished the rest of his clothes then managed to get into the tub without her help. He made sure to sit and watch her as she changed out of her clothes to join him. 

She stopped in front of the mirror and looking at her stomach,  _ did it look bigger than this morning? _

_ No, she must be imagining it. _

She then stepped into the bath and went to sit with him in warm soapy water. He wrapped his arms around her and started muttering incantations under his breath as he began to wash her body, both physically and magically. 

She felt her eyes sag as he worked and she enjoyed the comfort of his arms. 

“Lea, time to move” Severus whispered in her ear, almost causing her to jolt awake. They helped each other out of the tub and then dried off. “Nothing remained. I assume it was some minor spell to cause nausea to distract you.”

“A waste of time when I didn’t know how to counter the spell on Potter’s broom” Lea muttered under her breath as they made their way to get changed into something more comfortable.

“You could learn to and more,” Severus said and her eyes flickered to him, he nodded. “We can cover the basics while we have the time and deal with the rest at a later date.”

“I’m surprised you're not arguing about Granger,” Lea said, turning away from him.

“I am upset you interfered and because of it, she will be having Quirrell educating on her mistake... _ if he can be bothered _ ” Severus answered in a strained tone as he slipped into another pair of black robes. “I’m more concerned on why.”

“She knocked over Quirrell in her rush to you and she was willing to scoop up the flames into a jar so you were not hurt” Lea answered and she heard him mutter in under his breath. “Besides she was horrified when I told her that it's not just powerful curses that require full attention. She got the message.”

He was quiet but she could see in the mirror he was holding himself back from saying something.

“She isn’t Potter and you said yourself that you doubted her story about the troll” she added and he gave her a sharp look. “It was foolish, yes but I wanted her to know that things are not as simple as they appear.”

He paused and the anger in his eyes dissipated. “You were defending me not her. You wanted to make it clear to not just to her that it wasn’t me, so I couldn’t be framed.” 

She turned away from him, her cheeks becoming flushed as she continued dressing herself. 

She finished putting on her green robes when she felt Severus plant a kiss on her neck and wrap his arms around her. 

“Come lay with me on the sofa, I’ll cook lunch” he said softly, she relented and they made their way to the living room. 

He left her to cook them pasta and chicken while she summoned their eating utensils to the table, she felt tired all of a sudden but fought the feeling since they were going to eat soon. 

The food appeared at the table and she found herself gorging on it almost instantly. Severus had entered and hobbled to the sofa, watching her demolish the meal with ease.

His lips twitched and he started eating alongside her. 

“I’m happy you like it,” Severus said before taking another bite of his food. “I was worried you would be too tired to eat.”

“I do feel tired but I also need to eat and yes I do like it” Lea answered and he hummed in response. 

“We can take a nap after this together, I need to patrol this evening” Severus said and he proceeded to finish his plate after her. 

“What did Quirrell say?” Lea asked before he could start cleaning up, she looked to him and he stopped.

She felt a charge in the air but she didn’t fear his anger, she looked into his eyes instead. She took his hand, he didn’t refuse her nor did his anger simmer down. 

“He denies doing anything and is playing the fool” Severus spat, clenching his fists. “I threatened him but I doubt it will do much...make sure Albus is with you in future if you have to go anywhere near him.”

Lea sighed and nodded. “Not as if I plan to be anywhere near him aside from meals in the great hall.”

“Good.” He got up and nodded for her to go to the bedroom while he cleaned up.

* * *

  
  


The next few days passed quickly and she found herself entering the classroom from the workshop on that Friday afternoon to see Potter and Granger scrubbing cauldrons in the corner. 

“Done for this week?” Severus asked from his desk, not looking up from the stack of papers on his desk alongside a box full of labeled bottles of students' potions. 

“Yes, I finished a wand. As we agreed” Lea said, making sure he was aware that she didn’t break her side of the deal. “I just need to send it off to be examined.”

“Good,” he said and looked up at her as she went to sit next to him. “Hebridean black dragon heartstring?”

“Yes, Elm and 11 itches. Slightly unyielding” she said and he nodded in approval. “I’m confident with this one but we will see...I didn’t know their detention was today.”

She paused before pressing for information on why Granger was with them, his nose twitched and he scowled at the bottle of sludge in front of him.

“Minerva wasn’t available for her detention this week, so I offered to take her for today,” he answered, looking back at his papers and taking notes. “Just means I will have them doing more than scrubbing cauldrons at this rate.”

“I gathered, the Weasley twins have cleaned most of them already” Lea noted and he hummed in agreement. She then took a lot through the potions he hadn’t shifted through yet and examined the twins' vials to her surprise as if mentioning them summoned their presence in some form. “These are extremely well made.”

She blinked in surprise,  _ she shouldn’t be surprised with the slime they created. _

“I guess charms and mischief aren't the only things they are good at” Lea said thinking out loud and Severus snorted in disapproval. She shot him a stern look. “It’s important to recognise the good and the bad, in order to not remain blind. Albus taught me that.”

“Then you mark them. I will be checking and you better have a good argument for the grade you give” he grumbled, returning to his pile and looking aggravated at the latest failed potion. 

She smiled and moved the liquid around the vials to check consistency, then noted the smell before beginning to test them in the bowl Severus had provided. 

“You're being too generous” he said sternly as he noticed the mark she was giving George Weasley.

“We should encourage ingenuity within reason, this is far better than the recipe in the book but I have docked marks due to them reducing shelf life of the girding potion by doing so” Lea answered and Severus raised a brow at this. 

He then took the vial and examined the remainder of the contents. “Knock two points off and we’ll leave it as it is'' he answered after a few moments of silence. 

He then got up and went to examine Granger and Potter’s progress with the cauldrons. 

“You missed a spot and you need to clean these three again” he instructed and Lea got up to see for herself.

“We just cleaned them and that spot won’t…” Potter began to complain only for Lea to summon her cleaning gloves and snatch the cauldron from him. 

A few circle motions with the brush and it was gone. “There. Gone” she said in a sharp tone, giving him a warning look. “I’ll give you the benefit of doubt and assume you don’t know the dangers of a poorly cleaned cauldron so I’ll give you a chance to fix the rest.”

The boy’s brows raised and she gave him a small smile. 

“You likely already worked it out by now but I’ll make sure, certain potions and ingredients can’t come into contact with each other else accidents will occur” she stated and Potter just nodded in response. 

She then handed him the brush and removed her gloves to leave them to finish cleaning up. 

She sat back down at the desk to look through the other potions, noticing all the bad ones had already been examined by Severus. 

Severus was now watching the two as they cleaned the cauldrons like a hawk, he was pointing out mistakes and making sure not a speck of dirt remained. 

By the time she had finished examining the potions that remained, the cauldrons had been finished and they were now cleaning the desks and the floor. Potter’s eyes flitted from the tables to the classroom clock often, not realising if he focused on his task and finished cleaning the tables they would be let out earlier. 

“You finished the floor, Miss Granger?” Lea asked and the girl nodded, Lea looked to Severus. He nodded and Lea gave the girl a small smile. “You can go then.”

“Can I…” Granger began to ask. 

“No, you can’t help him with the tables. You will have to talk to him at dinner” Lea told her and Granger turned, gave Potter an apologetic smile before leaving. 

Potter looked annoyed but it seemed he got the message as he focused solely on cleaning the tables. 

He finished shortly after his friend had left and Severus handed him his library book then told him to leave. 

The classroom door closed behind Potter and they went to eat dinner together in their chambers before his patrol. 

Dinner was quiet as they finished the last of the ready made meals, it wasn’t until they had cleaned up and she got dressed into her green nightgown that he decided to speak. 

“Quirrell is on patrol with me tonight, the first sign of trouble get me or Albus,” he instructed and she nodded in agreement. 

“You also be careful. I’ll hold down the fort until your return” Lea said, planting a kiss on his lips. 

His lips twitched before returning her kiss and leaving through the portrait. 

She then turned to head to the bedroom catching a glimpse of her and her bump in the mirror. 

_ She was definitely bigger, it was to be expected but she didn’t think she would be growing so fast.  _

She was having trouble with stairs now and couldn’t get up to the owlery as often as she liked, Severus was insisting he do more as more time passed. She had been made to sit down and rest when the latest set of deliveries had arrived on Sunday. 

She knew couldn’t help with the new furniture but it was the small things that were getting to her. 

Her mother had her a few months early and Poppy had been moving the date that Silas was due with each new check up. 

_ To be honest, she couldn’t blame him for being impatient to get out of womby prison. _

Lea sat down on the bed and decided to get some sleep since she was already ready for bed, she didn’t stir until Severus brought her breakfast in the morning. 

She thanked him and they slowly made their way to the owlery, she could no longer keep up with Severus’s normal fast pace, making him slow down for her. 

Pepper had swooped down and gladly taken the parcel for Ollivander while Prince took a new letter to Lucius. 

“I need to go to the library and collect some books, we can…”

“No, I want to go with you. I don’t think I will be able to deal with this many stairs soon enough and would like to borrow some myself” Lea cut him off and he planted a kiss on her lips in response. 

“Irma has a list of volumes that can’t leave the library, anything you need from that we can send a order to Flourish and Blotts for” he told her and helped her with the stairs, his leg had healed enough that he could take a potion for it now. He occasionally had trouble but he could get about with relative ease now. 

They reached the library and Severus went to talk with Irma as she browsed the shelves for what she wanted, picking a few volumes on defensive magic. She was going to search the restricted section for books on curses and old magic when she heard a voice. 

“Mrs Snape” 

She turned and saw Neville smiling at her. “Yes, Mr Longbottom?”

“I wanted to say thank you again for helping me get my own wand” Longbottom told her, beaming up at her.

“No need, I’m glad it’s serving you well and that you are putting your head down and studying hard” Lea answered and he continued smiling. “I’m hearing you’ve gotten a lot better at charms and excelling in herbology.”

“Professor Sprout asked me to join the gardening club and talked about the pure golden roses you grew in seventh year” he said, excitably. For a naturally nervous boy it was a delight to see him come out of his shell. He then blushed and became more hesitant. “...I was wondering if you could show me a few tips with plants.”

“I can’t at the moment but I can make a copy of my old notes and recommend a few books for you in the meantime” Lea answered and the boy’s eyes lit up as he nodded.

“I also wanted to ask about potions...I heard you were good at them and I keep making mistakes…” Neville continued only to look down at his feet as soon as caught Severus looking towards them as Irma helped him collect his books. 

“Of course” Lea said. 

He looked up at her in disbelief and returned a shy smile. 

“I can do the same as I offered with herbology but I need to be honest it’s timing and confidence is your main issue. Once you practice enough and familiarise yourself with everything, it gets easier” Lea explained as the boy listened intently. “For that I would suggest you talk to Professor McGonagall about having you assigned an older student as a tutor for potions.”

Some older students signed up to be tutors for experience and to add it to their future job applications but you had to have the grades for it and keep them.

“I can do that?” he asked, blinking in surprise. 

Lea nodded before answering “You can tell McGonagall I sent you or I can write you a note?”

“A note, please” he said and she indicated for him to follow her to a nearby table as she took out a quill and some spare parchment she kept on her for emergencies. 

She handed him the note and wrote another with a list of book recommendations for his current year of study. 

“I’ll send over some of my notes, later by owl” she said and he ran off to go find the books he needed before talking to McGonagall. 

She then got up and continued wandering the shelves, now with a new idea in mind when she heard whispering. 

“What was that about?” a girl whispered from a nearby table and Lea made it look like she was still looking about the shelves but had already seen it was Granger sitting with her friends. 

“Don’t know, something about his wand?” Potter whispered back. 

“I thought she wasn’t allowed to make one,” Weasley whispered.

_ He was likely assuming since his mother didn't let her make him one.  _

“No, your mum said she couldn’t make you one” Granger corrected him, she sensed their eyes on her and she put the book she was looking at back on the shelf and took out another. “So she made him one, no wonder Neville defended her from Malfoy.”

“Malfoy seemed more pleased that her eyes turned red than anything” Potter added and Lea placed her current book to the side before moving along the bookshelf to continue searching. “How can someone like her have red eyes like that? I don’t know but there's something wrong about them other than them being red.” 

“She’s got to be evil, she’s married to Snape!” Weasley said a little louder than expected and was immediately shushed by his friends. 

“She helped Neville and I don’t think she can control her eyes, they say they turn red because she is upset. Then she must have been upset about the troll” Granger countered and Lea picked two more books to flip through. 

“Doubt it. It must be an act, she caught you Hermione and had you punished for stopping Snape” Potter said in a decisive tone. “No, they are both after whatever Fluffy is guarding.”

“No, I think she actually believes he was trying to save you and must be clueless about him. She is related to Dumbledore” Granger added and Lea could tell the boys were shaking their heads at that. 

“Barely, she’s like a distant cousin or something. She’s even in Slytherin with Malfoy and Snape. You know what they say about Slytherins, Hermione?” Weasley said and Lea moved again, now taking her quill and writing down the book titles on a scrap piece of parchment. “That’s not all, she’s has a nasty nickname to go with it….the Alder demon.”

“The Alder demon? What like the tree?” Granger questioned and Lea pocketed her note before putting the books she couldn’t take out back on their perspective shelves. 

“She must be worse than Snape with that nickname” Potter stated and she felt their eyes back on her. 

She needed to move otherwise they would work her out, despite feeling the sting of their accusations and wanting to find out more of what they were up to. She moved to the restricted section and noticed they had continued spying on her from a distance. 

After picking the last book she wanted, Severus appeared behind her and looked at the pile. He shot her a judgemental look. 

“I didn’t carry it everywhere, I placed it to the side as I was looking…”

He started looking through the pile and separated it into two piles before taking one pile away to put back on the shelves to her annoyance. 

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, only to see the group of children hide from her. 

_ They were terrible at this. _

Severus returned and they informed Irma about the two books she had taken out before leaving. 

They reached their quarters and Severus began searching his shelves of books, building a pile of his own on the coffee table. 

“We’ll look through these at lunch, what did Longbottom want?” Severus asked.

“Advice. I’ll be sending an owl with some notes for him to look at, he was excited to hear about my final year herbology project from Pomona” Lea answered and Severus sat down with her. Her smile dropped and she readied herself to tell him about Potter. “I overheard…”

“Potter and his friends. I know” he grumbled, his eyes narrowing. “I noticed half of those books in that pile you already had copies of back in our chambers and that  _ he _ was sitting nearby when you got them.”

“They know about Fluffy,” Lea said and his eyes widened in shock before a snarl crept onto his face. “Granger defended me from their accusations but they think we are both after the stone, though they don’t know what it is yet.”

“Albus must know. I need to…” he began in a strained voice, his eyes now full of panic as they darted between the fireplace and her.

“I can show you” she offered and kept his gaze. 

He focused and looked deep into her eyes to enter her mind so she could show him the memory of Potter’s discussion about the stone. 

He pulled out and almost immediately composed himself, he got up to go to the fireplace. He took a handful of powder from the bowl on the mantle and flooed to the headmaster’s office without warning Albus first. 

The moments ticked by until Severus returned slightly paler than he did on entering the fireplace and sat with her. “He said he will drop by in Granger’s lesson on counter curses with Quirrell to make sure he can’t use her friendship with Potter against us.”

Lea sighed in relief but that wasn’t all from his current demeanor. 

“He can’t do anything about Quirrell but he is now glad that you interfered with Granger’s punishment in case the group comes forward with accusations towards us to a member of staff or someone overhears them  _ plotting _ ” Severus continued and Lea’s face twisted into a scowl. “Since we can’t prove he cursed Potter’s broom and wasn’t checking on the defences for stone, his hands are tied. The board would get involved if Quirrell isn’t fired with due cause because of the amount of defence teachers the school has gone through the past few years.”

Lea gripped her robes in frustration and calmed her breathing, once she calmed herself down enough she nodded for him to continue. 

“That’s not all. I need to increase my patrols and keep a closer eye on Potter. You will need to have your mother here on evenings when I’m not here” he said, taking her hand and rubbing the back of it. “What we need to know at the moment is how he knows about  _ that overgrown mutt _ .”

“Well we are not going to get that information. They think we are evil incarnate for Merlin’s sake!” Lea snapped, he didn’t release her hand and just nodded. Her eyes began to sting as tears began to fall from her eyes, her voice became lower and she spoke in a trembling voice. “What on earth are we going to do, Severus? Rita didn’t believe Sarissa because of how ridiculous it sounded and knowing she couldn’t sell it. But if the boy finds out and tells everyone who…”

“He won’t. He doesn’t know. No one knew but a select few. The boy wasn’t old enough to remember his eyes” Severus cut her off and started to try to counter her fears. 

“But he’s saying that they disturb him for…” Lea began again, panic tearing through her mind in a frenzy as her breathing worsened. 

“Albus has a plan, Lea. Lucius has his own also if the truth ever came out. No one will hurt you and Silas, we will make sure of it. There are others out there with the same ability as yours, even more so with your eyes” Severus tried again to reassure her, it worked somewhat as her breathing began to slowly go back to normal. “Breathe. In and out. I’m here.”

She moved to allow him to hold her as she calmed herself down, she couldn’t lay in his arms as she did when her stomach was smaller but it was still comforting nevertheless. She felt her eyelids threatening to fall but stayed awake knowing that she needed to eat. 

He kissed her neck and comforted her for a few more moments before speaking again. “How are you both feeling now?”

“Hungry” she said, now able to think clearly.

He let out a strangled noise in his throat before kissing her cheek. “I’ll keep the door open, call me for anything.”

He meant every word and she devoured lunch before falling asleep in his arms, he then awoke her later with food. 

She felt guilty about worrying him this much but he insisted on doing so much for her and it was better than worrying him further. He was an excellent cook, he cooked with extreme precision and his cookbook was covered in notes of his additions and advice to himself. 

He however preferred her and her family's cooking when it was appropriate. Lately he had insisted on cooking as she helped him with marking and needed to rest as much as possible. 

_She had to admit that she now fully understood why her patronus changed, it was more than not having to hide their connections to her grandfather._ _Some thought she was a vixen that seduced him for her own benefit but she was a vixen that had fallen for him because of what they shared._

She remembered the ethereal bushy tailed fox dashing across the classroom when she first cast her patronus.

_ Playful tricksters with a strong connection to nature that hunt alone but can be social if they choose to be.  _

His arms held her close as she dreamed of a red bushy tailed vixen wandering about playing in the snow. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mostly had to think along the lines of what would they think of her, she’s married to Snape that's already against her in their book. 
> 
> She’s in Slytherin, strike two.
> 
> Red eyes and evil sounding nickname...to two very biased first year olds that believe all the bad people are Slytherin, definitely evil. 
> 
> Would they know about the Alder's almost being wiped out by Voldemort? Probably not, it's a very horrific event that was surrounded by a magnitude of other horrific events, not something mentioned in polite company. Molly and Ron’s older siblings would likely know since she was a student not too long ago and Molly’s brothers were in the Order. 
> 
> Her relationship to Albus...most likely distant after all why would she be in Slytherin? Not knowing that Albus was very ambitious when he was younger and regretted it. 
> 
> They don't know her but they know Snape so they judge on association, plus the rumors and her catching Hermione did not help. 
> 
> There were a lot of problematic things in the original chapter fifteen and I will be doing my best to catch them before posting, sorry again for the trouble. 
> 
> As for a fox, foxes have a lot of lore tied to them and I’ve seen videos of red foxes jumping up trees, they're not as well built for climbing trees as grey foxes but they can get up them and are native to the UK. 
> 
> I hope you are all well.


	17. Deck The Halls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas arrives at Hogwarts

The winter wind bashed and screamed at the castle corridor walls, the great hall christmas trees were adorned with mini glistening icicles and golden baubles. She had to admit Filius and Hagrid had out done themselves this year.

She helped Filius by sprouting a few golden bubbles out of her wand and floating them onto the other side of the last tree until Hagrid entered with another. 

McGonagall was busy hanging up the mistletoe and holly around the hall as they worked. 

“Ah, Hagrid, the last tree...put it in the far corner, would you?” Filius directed Hagrid and Hagrid walked down the hall to put down the tree with ease. “I think this will do, thank you, dear. Why don’t you sit down and help with the christmas crackers.”

“Sure, the same as last year?” Lea asked cheerfully as Filius summoned the craft supplies for her onto a nearby table. 

She sat down and began to work out what cracker she would be making first. She started cutting when she noticed someone had sat next to her. 

“Hello, Miss Granger,” Lea said as she continued to work on a green Christmas cracker with silver snowflake patterns. 

“Do you know who Nicolas Flamel is?” she asked just in time for a large shadow to cast over them.

“Best say nothin’ Lea” Hagrid said behind her and she nodded. Granger frowned at the interaction.

“Up to trouble are we? I’ll pretend I heard nothing this once but be careful Professor Snape is grumpy today” Lea warned her and saw from the way Hagrid just nodded and walked off that they had already encountered him already. “Well if you encountered him already, my advice would be to help with Christmas preparations rather than losing your house anymore points.”

“So you know about Flamel?” Potter asked from behind her with Weasley beside him. 

_They were practically attached at the hip at this point._

“Yes but I won’t say how” Lea said over her shoulder as she finished the first cracker and placed it to the side. The fear of what the boy could find out, was still looming in the depths of her mind as she worked. 

_Red with green mistletoe?_ She waved her wand and the patterns appeared across the paper.

Lea turned to get a flowery bonnet for the cracker and saw Granger was midway through making a plain green cracker and was intent on finishing. 

“I thought we were going to the library, Hermione?” Weasley asked and she shook her head.

“I think I will help out for a bit, why don’t you two go ahead?” Granger suggested and the boys reluctantly looked towards each other before deciding to leave. 

“What happened with Professor Snape?” Lea began to ask. 

“I docked 5 points from Mr Weasley for lunging at Mr Malfoy” Severus said from behind them making them turn to see him looking down at them expectantly. “Helping with Christmas preparations, a welcome improvement Miss Granger.”

Lea stopped and processed what she had just heard. _A compliment?...no she must be imagining it._

“Now we best clean up and get into our seats for lunch, shouldn’t we, Miss Granger?” he asked silkily, arching his brow to emphasise his point. 

He waved his wand and the craft materials vanished from the table.

Granger got up and went to her table quickly in case Severus would change his mind. 

Lea got up and followed Severus to the staff table, still unsure if she was dreaming or not. 

“You said yourself certain behaviors should be encouraged, helping you and avoiding her troublesome friends for example” Severus whispered into her ear and Lea just nodded.

_It was progress, questionable progress from him but she’ll take it._

“Keep this up and she might earn points” Lea added and the look he pulled in response was as if he ate something incredibly sour that he couldn’t get the taste off his tongue. _Finishing move it is._ She took his hand and looked into his eyes with a winning smile. “Well I’m grateful, there's so much that needs to be done for Christmas. I’m even more grateful for her help knowing that she’s going home for the holidays and won’t get to enjoy her work. I think it’s really sweet.”

Albus had informed them whether Potter and his friends would be staying so they would know who they needed to look out for. _Not that they would have any trouble finding them but it helped to be on guard._

“I see…” he said under his breath, he seemed to be fighting with himself but in the end he went with his finishing move. He lifted her hand and gave the back of it a quick kiss. “You know tonight there will be a whole range of desserts to give the students that are going home for Christmas holidays a good send off.”

His lips twitched when she turned away from him.

“Both of us can play this game Lea, you know that” Severus chided her playfully, before planting another kiss on her hand. _Kissing her hand was less embarrassing than giving Gryffindor any points it seemed._ “So has Silas stopped practicing Quidditch for today?”

“Football”

“Quidditch”

“Hockey”

“Quidditch, I can keep on this longer than you and you know it. You're going to run out of muggle sports to wind me up with soon enough” Severus stated, raising a brow at her. 

“You underestimate me husband,” Lea said and he snorted in amusement. “We both know tomorrow morning you will have forgiven me and be welcoming my presence eagerly.”

“That's because you cheat in every argument,” Severus said, clicking his tongue against the top of his mouth in mock annoyance.

“You never complain afterwards” Lea said and Severus rolled his eyes. 

“You have an unfair advantage” he said with a half growl, looking towards her large baby bump. 

“Silas is a good boy” Lea argued in a mock tone and he let out a small muffled chuckle.

“Till he’s keeping you up at night with his endless kicking” Severus said and she went to argue when Silas started moving again. “Case in point. He’s moving again.”

“Yes, he is,” Lea said as Silas kicked again before settling down again. “He does like his timing…”

She rubbed her belly gently to soothe Silas and noticed the students slowly pouring in with a few staff members.

“How many cards have you received today?” Severus asked suddenly. 

“Five. Clearwater, Runcorn, Rivers, Smith and Longbottom” she listed for him and his lips twitched. “Clearwater and Longbottom got me some chocolates as well.”

“We are going to run out of room on the shelves in our office at this rate, most of the girls of Slytherin have already gotten you cards” Severus mused as the hall became increasingly more busy by the moment. “Still think my plan to have pre made cards and quills to give them is a bad idea?”

“Nope” Lea answered, popping the ‘p. “How many have you gotten?”

“Malfoy, Goyle and Crabbe. That makes three” Severus answered, just as the food appeared on the tables. He poured her a glass of water as she went for an orange. “I’ve put all our cards and gifts from the staff on the spare table in my office ready for Christmas day.”

Severus then talked about their morning teaching and Lea talked about how she had spent most of the morning helping with Christmas preparations before they made their way back to class as soon as lunch was finished.

She sat down and dealt with the last few essays for the year as he taught his last lessons for the term.

As soon as his last class was finished he rushed to check her progress only to find she was done as well.

“Sweet freedom!” Lea exclaimed and his lips twitched.

“Not yet, I need to check our stores and tidy everything away. You go rest and I’ll join you for dinner” he insisted and she made her way slowly to their quarters to read for a bit.

An hour or so later and he returned to their chambers with a jump in his step. 

“I still have a few things to finish up but with your help this year we are actually able to relax tonight” he informed her, then planted a kiss on her cheek and helped her up. 

How she managed her way up to the great hall again was beyond her but she was exhausted enough on her return that evening to fall asleep immediately on sitting down to rest her feet. 

She awoke in the morning in her green nightie and Severus’s hand on her belly. 

That morning onwards was a blur and the days after followed the same pattern. She barely remembered everything they had done aside from reading and cuddling followed by the occasional walk. 

Her mother would help her in evenings while he patrolled the halls and when he did his quick checks on what the boy was up to, who luckily for them spent most of his time in his warm dormitory. 

Breathing exercises and the occasional book on child care followed by her mother showing her a few things. 

She was no longer spending time in the workshop as she tired easily and Silas would choose to alert her to his presence at inopportune times. 

Ollivander had approved her elm wand with a hebridean black dragon heartstring core and the two wands that came after. 

How she would find time to continue her work after Silas was born was up for debate, he needed her full attention. 

Christmas day was upon them before they realised it and Severus had jolted out of bed when he felt the tug on the wards as Lea insisted she needed more sleep. 

She heard a familiar chuckle shortly after Severus had left the room, followed by a soft feminine voice. “Lea, you want breakfast, you best get up.”

That was all she needed and Lea was up and proceeded to get ready with Severus. They reached the fireplace and entered her grandmother’s living room to Lea being pulled into a careful hug with large muscular tawny arms.

“Morning, uncle” Lea yawned and looked up to see Xander’s hazel eyes looking through his silky black mane of hair at her lovingly.

“Morning, sweet pea. Silas kept you awake?” Xander asked as he led her to sit down on the sofa with him and Wulfric. She nodded and accepted the blanket to get comfortable. 

“We have a new table,” Lea stated, looking towards the long white oak table now in between the living and kitchen area. 

“We needed more space to eat and your mother is allowing us to dish up as much as we like after the first serving” Wulfric explained and Lea's face sprung a wide smile. “Thought you would like the news, your father did. In fact, between you and me I think he’s been looking forward to the food more than he should.”

Lea chuckled as her father shook his head at Wulfric.

“Here, we can start with Silas” Xander said, handing her a wrapped gift and she opened it to find a toy fox and small fox printed pajamas.

“Thank you, Silas will love them” Lea thanked them cheerfully and Severus was handed his gift from her. 

He unwrapped a worn purple book called Wonders of the lost arcane by Edna Toad and by the way his lips twitched, he loved it. 

What preceded was a lot of books and a bottle of expensive firewhiskey for Severus. Some books and more clothes for Silas along with green rattle with snakes on it. Lea was given some jewelry and a couple books.

Her uncles were given some expensive elvish red wine from them and some toys for the kneazles back home. Her parents had a basket of chocolate and other goodies to enjoy. 

Her grandmother had some rare seeds, a bottle of sherry and a new cooking book. 

Her grandfather Aberforth got some new cooking knives from them.

Breakfast was devoured in a matter of minutes and they sat waiting for their food digest. 

“So Severus I hear you’ve had basic healing training?” Xander began and Severus nodded. “I was a healer myself before retiring to work with my husband. I could lend you some of my old books and notes if you like?”

Severus’s lips turned up into a small smile as he nodded, it was a sight to behold as both Xander and Severus started talking shop. Xander had taken his glasses from the front pocket of his maroon front jacket and started going through the notes he had with him. 

“Lea, I have some new saplings back home and was wondering if you have any ideas for more trees we can invest in” Wulfric began drawing her attention only to hear a huff of annoyance. “Oh come on Xander, you two are talking shop so why can’t we?”

“We are talking about my past as a healer and comparing notes, you two are talking about work” Xander argued and Severus nodded in response. 

“We can’t help that this is an excellent opportunity to share our love of nature” Wulfric said with a cheeky grin.

“You could talk about Cleo and Cleopatra then” Xander suggested and Wulfric turned to Lea, his eyes twinkling.

“Did you know catnip works on kneazles?” Wulfric began and Lea let out a small laugh. “Yes, they went loopy over it. We even have a small pot of cat grass now. They are now very spoiled kitties.”

“They’ve always been spoiled Wulfric, you just refused to admit it before” Xander interjected and Severus had to stop himself from laughing.

“What? Our angels?” Wulfric said in mock offense, placing a hand on his chest dramatically. 

“No, not our angels...yes them” Xander began to say in mock disbelief before dropping the facade. Wulfric snorted and hugged Xander. “I’m just as bad as you especially with our favourite niece.”

“That’s easy, I’m your only niece” Lea chuckled.

“Just makes you more special” Xander said with a wink, ruffling her hair affectionately. “Just as Silas will be when he makes his debut.”

Wulfric and Xander started talking about the plans they had for the kneazles at home as Severus sat with Lea in the corner. 

“Why the foxes?” he whispered and her cheeks flushed in response. 

“My patronus was a red fox” she said under her breath, hoping he didn’t hear her and would drop the subject. 

“Ah, so you are my wily little vixen” he purred in her ear, planting a kiss on her cheek as she hid her head in her hands. “Are you ashamed? Don’t be, it suits you well.”

There was a knock at the door and Albert went to answer, he held the door open for Eileen who walked inside. She handed Albert a box and Severus went to greet her only to be handed a bag.

“Sorry I can’t stay. I just couldn’t leave Tobias alone today. The gifts are in the bag” Eileen began and Lea could see the smile on Severus’s lips drop as he sighed before preceding to hand Eileen her a bag to take with her. 

“Merry Christmas Eileen” Lea greeted her and then gave her a quick hug.

Eileen’s lips twitched and hugged her back. “There’s a fruit tart in the box, my own recipe. I hope you like it. ”

Eileen walked over to Severus to pull him into one and he snorted. “Merry Christmas mother.”

Aurora handed Eileen her own box. “A chocolate forest gateau for you to enjoy since you won’t be joining us” Aurora informed her with a smile. 

“Thank you and merry Christmas to you all” Eileen said and quickly made her exit. 

There were a few moments of silence as Albert and Aberforth gave Severus a judgemental look.

“Albus is banned for a reason, so is Tobias. It’s best left as that” Lea said and both of them just nodded before going back to talking about their plans for the easter holidays. 

She shot Severus an apologetic look but his scowl was gone.

“That was better than I expected, let’s see what she got us” he said, rummaging through the bag. “Books and some clothes she’s knitted for Silas.”

“They're cute,” Lea said, examining the small blue baby clothes as he flipped through the second hand books Eileen had given them.

“Severus. Lea. Is there something we should know about Tobias?” Albert asked suddenly, drawing their attention. 

“I would leave it, Albert. It’s not as simple as you may believe” Wulfric cut in giving Albert a warning look. 

Albert shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. I wanted to know if we needed to keep an eye out for him, that's all.”

“I would prefer it if you did, I do not want that _man_ anywhere near Lea and Silas” Severus said in a sharp tone and Albert nodded his head in response. 

“Would you rather we talk in private?” Albert suggested but Severus shook his head.

“No, my father is a monster and the fact he is a muggle makes things complicated, I know that, but I know better now than to let my experiences with him paint my perception of all muggles” Severus explained and Albert blinked in surprise. “Yes I was a death eater. I wanted power, recognition, validation for my anger and most stupid of all I wanted to impress others with the power and wealth I could gain from the dark lord without thinking of what it would mean if our side won.” 

The whole room went quiet, all except Aberforth. “An honest answer, a better answer than what my brother has ever given that can be sure and from your reaction Lea, we know that you're honest with each other at least.”

Lea nodded and Aberforth patted her on the shoulder as Irene remained quiet. 

“It is better we know these things and not hide them, so we can plan matters as a family. I’m sure that you, Albert, were asking out of want to protect the family in case this was your answer Severus” Aberforth continued, giving indication for Albert to interject at any point.

“Yes, father. You taught us to know that people can be gits with or without magic. I apologise if I appeared otherwise” Albert interjected, nodding as he did so. “As a former auror I have heard it all and am naturally suspicious of anyone who seeked refuge from their past with my father in law.” 

“Most of them I know for a fact are not remorseful for their actions, so it doesn’t surprise me that you are apprehensive towards me let alone an older man marrying your daughter” Severus stated, looking directly towards Albert. 

“More so for your past and your former role than age. It would be hypercritical for me to judge you just on age when the gap between me and Aurora is larger, though I will admit the timing and other possible implications of your age had me worried” Albert answered and Severus’s brow raised in confusion causing Albert to let out a small laugh. “I thought my grey hair would tip you off.”

“I’m no spring chicken either Albert” Aurora added and Albert snorted in amusement. She just shook her head and went back into the kitchen area to help Irene sort out lunch. 

“I chalk it up to Aurors not working as long as me before retiring, past Minister’s have all made suggestions I do so, due to making them all look bad” Albert added before leaning back in his chair. “Not that I didn’t come back with some scars and issues of my own. I’m actually glad for my retirement...Fudge only seems to like people who kiss his spoilt ass.”

Severus couldn’t hold back a chuckle on the comment on Fudge.

“Yes I am biased but in all seriousness that man is a damn fool and is getting all his good ideas from Albus. Alastor is feeling the same, moving Barty to another department was a stupid idea to ensure Fudge didn’t get shown up” Albert explained, summoning himself and the others beer. “If he didn’t ask my uncle for his opinion we would be at the mercy of Lucius Malfoy from the way he hangs around Fudge and throws his money about.”

What began as she drank a glass of water from the sofa was her father and Severus discussing what was going on at the Ministry as well as her father’s time working there.

Lunch was fruit and a few sandwiches to keep them going until dinner, that's when Albert brought out the VHS tapes. 

“I think it’s time you learn where Monty got his name from and show you what’s possible for Silas” Albert announced, taking the tapes to the tv.

“You didn't,” Lea said in disbelief.

“We have invested in a camcorder and been modifying it with help of your mother to get it working this close to Hogwarts” Albert announced to the room, his smile could rival the sun at this point. Lea hid her face in her hands. “It won’t match these masterpieces but it will give you an idea of our goal for Silas.”

He put the first tape in and Severus watched attentively, Lea had mixed feelings with her family’s plans to document her son’s growth. She wanted to also but remembered how embarrassing her mother was with her photos.

Severus’s lips were twitching and she caught him a few times letting out a few chuckles as he sat watching with them.

Dinner was quite animated to say the least as Severus, Xander and her father talked up a storm. From potions to defensive magic to how good her mother and grandmother’s cooking was.

She had taken a second portion of carrots when she noticed Severus’s smile, a sight that used to be so rare that you may only see one in your years at Hogwarts and most thought impossible. Unstrained and warm, it brought a warmth to her chest she did not think possible. 

She did not think and only realised it had happened when her lips met his cheek, there were no odd looks or traumatised faces from the others at the table they just went on eating as nothing happened. 

Severus looked at her adoringly and refilled her glass with water. She had wondered if she could get her own family to accept him but he had won them over on his own terms.

“Lea are you alright?” Severus asked, his smile dropping and moving to comfort her. “Are you hurt?”

Her cheeks were wet and she realised why he was upset, she had started to cry. 

“I’m happy…” Lea managed to say as she wiped her eyes and hugged him, he exhaled deeply in relief. 

She spent a few moments there before moving back to her food before catching her mother’s eyes and seeing a knowing smile across her lips. 

“Dinner is lovely as always, though I don’t think I will have room for dessert for a change” Lea said and her mother snorted in amusement. 

“Tell me what dessert you want and I’ll box it up for you to take home” Aurora said, her smile growing. 

Lea nodded and thanked her before continuing eating. 

“My dessert is safe tonight, I take it?” Severus said, a smirk spread across his lips as he watched Lea eat.

“If you have room? Though I doubt it when you’ve eaten more than me for a change” Lea said, grinning back at him. 

“Can you blame me? When you or your family cooks I always go for seconds” Severus answered and continued to tackle the roast potatoes on his plate. “I just hope Silas inherits your talent for cooking.”

“You're pretty talented in the kitchen yourself. I’m just wondering what mess Silas is going to make when we teach him to cook” Lea answered to everyone’s amusement, her mother could not stop herself from releasing a small chuckle from her lips. 

“Yes...I’m quite aware of the amount of cleaning we will be needing to do with the two of you,” Severus said, his smirk deeping before continuing eating. 

There were a few amused looks and chuckles after that but everyone focused on finishing eating soon after.

Dinner had finished with no leftovers and everyone too full for dessert for a change. Lea and Severus had picked out the desserts they wanted before saying their goodbyes and thanks for the food. 

“Make sure to let us know if you need anything, you two” Aurora said softly after giving Lea another hug after helping them bring everything through to their quarters. 

“We will and thank you Aurora” Severus answered and Aurora pulled him into a quick hug to his surprise.

“Good. Remember you are just as much family as Silas is Severus. Now take care” Aurora said before entering the fireplace and vanishing almost as soon as she stepped into it. 

Severus stood there looking stunned, his left eyebrow raised and his face blank as he processed what just happened.

“That went well,” Lea said, drawing his attention. 

Severus nodded. “I’m glad it did, I was worried you father would still be aggravated by my presence.” 

“It takes him a while to warm up to people, your honesty helped a lot in that regard and mother wore him down” Lea told him, patting the space next to her on the sofa. He sat down with her and relaxed into the sofa cushions. “They are a team and often calibrate on everything they can afford to. The greenhouse for instance has the extremely complex spell work from my mum and all the planning from my dad. While my uncles helped with resources and building.”

“Pomona would definitely love to know how they got the greenhouse warm all year round” Severus noted and Lea nodded.

“It’s extremely time consuming and can’t be done with students on the grounds. The magic had to be built into the greenhouse itself and it’s not the only part of my grandmother’s that was worked on. It used to be a small house when she bought it” Lea explained and Severus listened to her intently. “I know the house was one of the things that Albus and Wulfric actually worked together on and there's a lot of things they’ve done to it that I don’t know about yet.”

Severus rummaged through his robes and took out his very worn black book to start scribbling notes into it. 

“It took a lot to even keep my office warm for Monty but if it is as you said built into the greenhouse…” he started muttering only to notice Lea rubbing her eyes. “This can wait. We have a long day tomorrow and you need to be ready for it.”

He then got up and helped her out of the room to prepare for bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very busy chapter and a bit of an introduction to Xander. 
> 
> We have the Malfoys in either the next chapter or the one after and much more on the horizon. I’m going to work out how to space these out and try and make these next chapters easier to read while I reread a few chapters from the first book. 
> 
> I hope you are all well.
> 
> edit 1: minor edit on wording


	18. The Malfoys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner at the Malfoys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait this chapter has been kicking my arse., I hope the length of it makes up for it.

Lea sat on the sofa as her mother worked on her hair. “Hold still,” Aurora said softly as she continued to work on the french braid updo Lea wanted. 

Aurora soon placed a hand on Lea’s shoulder to indicate she had finished and for her to turn around. 

Aurora handed her a small black box and Lea opened to find an envelope of golden rose seeds. “You were lucky we had some spare from home. I hope these help you today.”

“I’m sure they will, thank you” Lea said before pulling her into a hug before going to put on her silver and emerald studs. 

She slipped on her green shoes and thought better at doing a twirl in her large dark green dress with her huge belly. 

_ Movement was getting more difficult with each day and she was filled with fear and excitement that Silas would arrive soon. _

Severus had insisted on buying them new clothes for their visit and had to shell out a lot of coin on her dress due to her growing size. 

“Beautiful dear” Aurora said, giving her a broad smile. 

They heard a knock from the bedroom door. 

“We’re ready,” Aurora called out to Severus. 

Severus opened the door and raised a brow at Lea, she relented and sat back down on the sofa.

“Husband” Lea greeted him and he walked up to her in his new dark green dress robes, he adjusted his white jabot before giving her a knowing smirk. 

_ She loved it when he put his hair up and out his eyes. _

“Aren't you meant to say something?”

“I like your hair up, it allows me to see your eyes”

“Thank you, though it’s expected for you to compliment my outfit, you know” Severus said as sat down next to her. “It’s only fair I refuse to do the same.”

She planted a kiss on his check.

“Better,” Severus said and turned to see Aurora getting up from the sofa.

“I best be going, let me know if you need anything. I will be back later” Aurora said before placing a kiss on Lea’s forehead and heading to the fireplace. 

Severus offered Lea his hand and helped her up as soon as Aurora left, he noticed the box in Lea’s hands. 

“It’s golden rose seeds for Narcissa,” Lea said and his smirk grew. “You got the wine?”

He paused and then quickly went into the kitchen for a moment. He returned with a bottle of elvish red and joined her at the fireplace. 

They disappeared for a moment before reappearing in the Malfoy’s grand marble fireplace. Lea took a good look at her surroundings and saw the same silver antique clock they had at home on the mantel along with a huge extravagant mirror above it on the wall. 

She saw a pipe organ sitting at the back of the room.

She looked towards the paintings of Malfoys long past hung on the dark purple walls matching the large curtains covering the massive windows on the other side of the room.

In the centre was a large ornate table that almost ran the entire length of the room. 

The door at the other end of the room opened and inside walked Lucius in black dress robes with silver cufflinks followed by a tall blonde woman in a dark green and black gown. She looked to be a stern woman and had her hair up in a simple bun to keep it out of her eyes. 

“Severus. Good to see you are early and without needing to be taken upstairs to change for once” Lucius said, his lips spreading into a wide grin as he reached them. He then looked to Lea and then back to Severus. “The same shade of green as well.”

“It’s good to finally meet you Lea, apologies for not making it to your wedding” Narcissa greeted her.

“It’s alright, Severus explained there was a family situation. I’m also glad we managed to meet, after everything that has happened” Lea said before handing her the small box. “Here we got you a gift as well for your garden, thank you for having us.” 

Narcissa opened the box to see the seeds and Lucius peered into it as well before looking back up at her with a confused smile.

“Golden rose seeds, do we want to know where they came from?” Lucius asked and Severus shook his head as he handed him the bottle of wine and a small book.

“Their legal, if that’s what worries you?” Severus told him and Lucius’s lips twitched. “The book has a recipe for pure golden rose tea and the requirements to grow the roses.”

“That’s all we needed to know, we’ll pretend to not have an idea who you got them from” Lucius said, tucking the box into his robes and walking to the head of the table to sit. 

Narcissa took Lucius’s left side and Severus helped Lea sit down at the table before taking Lucius’s right. 

Lea looked at the table arrangements and noticed it was not the formal dinner arrangements she had assumed it would be.

The past wifes of the heads Malfoy manor would traditionally be in charge of the garden and hold small meets there to maintain relationships with other purebloods and the elite of the wizarding world.

The recipe was her mother’s, she would make tea with the roses she grew, even her golden roses. Not the muggle golden rose tea which she had stored away but a different blend entirely.

Not all flowers were edible or could be used to make tea and  some are lethal if ingested, others are more so and her mother made sure to teach her the difference. 

You normally had to pay an exorbitant price to get a cup of pure golden rose tea but never the seeds to grow your own roses to make your own. It was also unfortunate that it was one of the ingredients for the wolfsbane potion, which made it extremely difficult to afford without the addition of acromantula venom.

Most schools had to apply to get the seeds for final year students and the application progress was so tedious it often ended with students having to grow a different plant for their final project.

It was a matter of sellers not wanting to gain additional competition and only willing to help promising students that they could hire or become potentially influential in the wizarding world.

But if you were Albus Dumbledore all it took was a good bottle of sherry and being friends with the right people to get a handful of the seeds. Being the resourceful man he was he asked for the family to grow them at home and supply the school going forward.

“It’s an informal dinner tonight, just between friends” Narcissa explained, noticing Lea’s perplexed expression. “I heard you’ve been to a few formal dinners, yourself.”

Lea nodded, relaxing her shoulders a little.

Her father and later her mother as well had been invited to a few by past ministers of magic because they wanted to remain on good terms with Albus Dumbledore’s nephew while avoiding promoting him.

Fudge had been no different.

“I heard that your family now owns a unicorn, Lea” Narcissa said and Lea’s lips twitched.

“More like accommodating one and her family at the moment. Anyone who’s lived with or gotten close to a unicorn is bound to tell you that the unicorn gets final say on what they do” Lea answered, she assumed this meant Fudge had been running his mouth to one of his biggest sponsors. 

Narcissa’s lips twitched before nodding.

“Yes, Fudge complained about the fact Albus was already moving his weight around to get your equine friends off the grounds” Narcissa said just as Lucius started filling up their wine glasses. 

Narcissa proceeded to wave her hand to Lea’s glass to fill it with water and held out her hand to stop Lea from thanking her. “It’s all about being a good hostess, how did you like the tea set?”

“It’s beautiful, custom order from Fiona Kettleburn. I take it?” Lea asked and Narcissa’s lips spread into a wide smile before nodding. 

“I assume your mother has a tea set at home, I take it?” Narcissa asked and Lea nodded.

“Silvanus gave both my mother and uncles sets made by his sister a while back. He talked up a storm about the anti shattering enchantments his sister had placed on his, so he did not need to worry about them breaking in his line of work” Lea explained and Narcissa just nodded. “You should see his collections of tea and tea sets he has from across the world. It’s absolutely fascinating.”

Lea and Severus actually had two tea sets, Silvanus had gotten them a set too. His was red and white with red foxes running about a forest. The set the Malfoys had gotten them was white and green with snakes slithering across the set. 

She liked both of them but Severus had insisted on using Silvanus’s that morning and started up with the fox comments again. 

She didn’t mind the teasing since she was just as bad. 

Narcissa started going on about her collection of tea caddies, tea sets and teas. 

Being able to discuss something that Narcissa was actually invested in was a heavens send, she had been worried about this visit for a while.

_ She would have to remember to thank Severus when they got back, if he hadn't told her that Malfoys were having trouble acquiring golden rose seeds and Narcissa’s love of tea. She did not know what she would have done, she was just thankful the evening was going well so far. _

The door soon opened and they turned to see Sarissa dressed in a slim dark purple dress followed by Avery in dress robes matching the colour of her dress.

The man she had been warned about was behind them and dressed in the same outfit as his son. He looked exactly how she expected Lucius to look at his age with the addition of a beard, the only difference in their head hair was Abraxas’s was a tad bit longer. 

Abraxas smiled towards Lea before putting his hand on the chair next to her only to snap his head to the right side of the table to shoot Sarissa a warning look. 

“Avery after Narcissa. You will be opposite me Sarissa” Abraxas said in a cold stone voice, Sarissa stopped midway of pulling the chair next to Narcissa out before meekly moving to the chair she had been directed to. 

He then pulled his chair out and sat down next to Lea, he then smiled towards Lea. He then took her hand and kissed the back of it.

“It’s good to see the Alders have returned to the old ways” he said softly, he seemed almost grandfatherly but that just unnerved her even more. “I remember when Irene used to visit when we were children.”

“Yes, grandmother said she used to cook with your mother when she visited” Lea replied, she was worried for a moment that was the wrong answer but his smile widened.

“Yes, she did” he answered cheerfully, but his eyes looked as if he was a cat who had caught a mouse. “It’s good to see that she hasn’t swayed you against us...Draco even said Albus was banned from her home recently.”

“Yes, he is. Again in fact” Severus interjected, Abraxas nodded thoughtfully. “The family tends to have frequent disputes with him.”

“Good to hear Irene hasn’t completely lost all her senses” Abraxas said, Lea heard the bite in his tongue as he spoke. “Even after turning to that fool.” 

_ She had to focus on her emotions, lest her eyes change and reveal her anger. _

“Enough of that for now. Let’s enjoy our meal” Abraxas then said and Lucius clapped his hands together. 

The table immediately filled with all manner of dishes and bowls along the middle of the table for them to dish up. 

Lucius started dishing up and eating, so everyone could follow suit. 

_ The host eats first just as the host usually sits first. Napkins usually go on your lap unless you can be excused from it. Don’t lean forward and sit up straight, ask to be passed anything you can’t reach without leaning.  _

Lea started recounting the rules of basic etiquette in her head,  _ it may not be a formal dinner but she needed to impress. _

Traditionally couples don’t sit next to each other but most guests don’t have a pregnant wife to worry about or someone that a couple needed to avoid sitting next to. 

Not to mention how long the table was, Narcissa would be stuck at the other end with no one to talk to in some seating arrangements. 

_ Draco wasn’t here, so they were expecting trouble or more likely were planning to question her after dinner. _

Severus’s lips twitched before making a faux pas and leaning over the table and grabbing the dishes for her. Her face froze in a mix of confusion, embarrassment and a form of gratitude. 

“Sev, you were doing so well” Avery tutted in mock offense and Severus continued paying him no mind. “You are meant to ask for the peas not to get them yourself.”

“Yes, but my darling wife has Silas to contend with tonight and is too polite for her good,” Severus said, a smirk spreading across his lips towards Lea. 

“To think, it’s you making a faux pas and not…” Sarissa started to say but caught Abraxas’s gaze, she turned as white as a sheet. “I meant, Lucius and Narcissa should have drummed proper dinner etiquette into your head by now. This is why you don’t get invited to every social occasion.”

“ _ I have work _ , Sarissa. I have papers to grade and the whole of Slytherin to care for. I don’t have time to go to most of them” Severus answered in a stern voice, before dishing up what he wanted onto his plate. “We have a son on the way as well, I’m not likely to be available to attend anything other than informal dinners soon enough.”

“Silas is due when?” Avery asked and Severus’s brow furrowed.

“Silas is impatient and has been draining his mother on a regular basis, all we know is it will be soon” Severus answered and Avery paled a little. “ _ Not that soon _ . But hopefully before I get buried under paperwork again when term starts again.”

“It’s hard to believe after all this time our Sev is going to be dad” Avery said in mocking reverie, Severus’s lips twitched. “Our boy is growing up.”

“It almost brings tears to the eyes, to think all those years I had thought our work wasted” Lucius said to Avery’s and Severus’s amusement. They were sounding like mothers fussing over their child getting married. 

Sarissa’s eyes narrowed at this and she focused on her food, Lea could tell she wanted to say something but she kept her mouth thankfully shut.

“Lea. Me and Lucius have been talking and we have been wondering what your plans for the summer holidays are” Narcissa asked, gaining Lea’s attention. 

“Our plan is to have no plans and spend most of the holiday focusing on Silas and anything we have put on hold for now, without any other worries. This year has been hectic and we don’t plan to go on a proper vacation yet” Lea answered and Narcissa nodded. 

“We can understand that and I must say it’s good to hear that Severus is willing to go on  _ vacation _ at some point” Narcissa answered, Lucius gave Severus a knowing look.

“Would it surprise you, it's most likely a cabin in the woods” Lea said and Narcissa shook her head.

“No, it doesn’t but it’s better than him usually locking himself away in his quarters in Hogwarts” Narcissa said and gave Severus a stern look. 

“Maybe a beach vacation next?” Lucius suggested.

“Unlikely” Severus snorted but saw the disappointment in Lea’s eyes. “Maybe a visit, not a vacation.”

Lucius let out a small chuckle to Severus’s annoyance. “She’ll hold you to that I’m sure.”

“I’ll risk it,” Severus said before going back to his food. “Besides we can collect some ingredients and coral while we are there...I’m also sure Silas would enjoy the trip also.”

“Does it have to involve work, Severus? Why not just enjoy the time with your family?” Narcissa suggested warily and Severus frowned. 

“We will be, it will be educational and fun” Severus said defensively and Narcissa just sighed, letting the matter go. “I loved collecting ingredients when I was a boy and making things with my hands.”

“I did too when I was little, mum and I used to brew potions together afterwards” Lea mentioned happily and Severus’s lips twitched again.

“My mother and I would pick a day when my father was out and spend the whole day brewing and cooking together” Severus said, his eyes shone happily for a moment before dimming as soon as it happened. 

He then took her hands and squeezed them before returning to finish his food.

Lea noticed Narcissa giving them a knowing look before going back to eat. 

Lucius soon waved his hand to send the dishes to the kitchen and clapped his hands again to fill the table with desserts. 

Severus and Lea each took a slice of angel cake, it was delicious but she felt the dish and the food before lacked the warm feeling her mother and grandmother’s food gave her. 

“The angel cake is delicious, Narcissa” Lea said, giving her a wide smile. “Tonight has been lovely.”

“Thank you and I’m glad you are enjoying yourself tonight” Narcissa said, returning her smile.

Sarissa glared into her chocolate forest gateau but remained quiet as they continued to eat.

Lea finished her dessert and everyone waited for Lucius to finish his apple crumble. 

Lucius wiped his face with his napkin and waved his hand to send the dishes to the kitchen. 

“I wanted to ask you before you leave, Lea. Why did your grandmother go to Albus for help?” Abraxas finally asked,  _ he meant why didn’t she go to me first. _

_ Outright lying would be easy for them to tear the story apart, Severus was clear that twisting the truth and using her actual emotions was the only way this would work. _

_ Especially when they had every intention of telling her of her heritage to turn her against her family. _

“Found is more accurate. No one would hire or help her until Albus found her” Lea answered and Sarissa’s lips twitched. 

“She had friends. Friends willing to help” Abraxas stated and Lea shook her head.

“How many of those friends came to the door to answer it themselves, before it was slammed in her face before she could explain? How many let their jealousy take hold and decided they didn’t care enough to not threaten her? How many believed those lies about her?” Lea questioned him, her eyes showing a flicker of red as Abraxas’s brow furrowed. 

“So Albus found her? What did he offer? What price did she pay?” Abraxas asked her.

“Nothing,” Lea said, gripping her dress tightly. 

“He can’t have asked her for nothing, truly?” Lucius said, looking towards Lea in confusion.

“Ask yourself who do you feel more indebted to, a man who helped you out at your lowest for nothing or the man who does so expecting payment?” Lea said and Lucius paused, his brow furrowing in thought. “It’s not a debt easily paid is it?”

“No. It isn’t” Lucius said under his breath. 

“So in other words your grandmother is a traitor” Sarissa said, with a victorious smirk.

“Is she, Sarissa?” Abraxas said and Sarissa looked towards him as if had grown two heads. “Your grandmother and everyone else in the manor was told to allow Irene entry. I had a room ready for her and would have made room for Aurora too.”

“She’s lying then, Irene must…” Sarissa began to say, there was not a hint of doubt in her voice. 

“Really? I know the original story you and Brutus wanted Rita to print. I have a hard time believing there isn’t some truth to Irene’s claim when there was no way of Brutus knowing otherwise” Abraxas cut her off and Sarissa’s brow furrowed in further confusion. “I didn’t tell him and her grandfather would never pass that information to anyone else. Erica wouldn’t tell an outsider and Albus...we all know that route would be impossible.”

“Aurora must have shown signs…” Sarissa tried to argue but Abraxas shook his head.

“That’s your reasoning? I knew, Alexa, your grandmother. She was obsessed with Lea’s grandfather and was as impulsive as you are” Abraxas continued as Sarissa became paler by the second.

“If that's true, then it means Irene must have told her” Sarissa snapped, glaring at Lea. “Who better to get the actual truth from.”

“It doesn’t matter if she knows who he is, her blood is invaluable to us and she is bound to Severus now” Abraxas said with an eerily cold voice, it was like she was a possession to be used as he pleased. “What matters is that your grandmother went against the family and your father hid this from us. If her grandfather lived, we would have paid the price. He had every intention of reclaiming his family and Irene with it.”

“No, I don’t believe this. It can’t.. ” Sarissa started to argue only for Abraxas to pull out a large scroll of parchment and hand it to her.

“I not only know it’s true but I can prove it. This contract is only the tip of the iceberg” Abraxas said as Sarissa eyes narrowed and looked as if they were about to water. 

Sarissa was speechless as she continued to read the scroll, checking it again to double check it’s contents.

“This can’t be,” Sarissa said breathlessly.

“But it is. Brutus left the country this morning and received the money shortly after. You have a choice to make on whether you with the family or against it” Abraxas said coldly, his gaze locked with hers. “This non negotiable you will help to fix the damage done to our relationship with the Snapes or you will find yourself crossing wands with us.”

“But I’m…” Sarissa began to plead.

“Family? What family lies and betrays you while having the gall to ask for more?” Abraxas argued, Sarissa went to speak but he continued. “You and your father went against a direct order and proceeded to…”

“She’s a danger to our family! A Dumbledore! A disgrace like her shouldn’t even be in Slytherin!” Sarissa yelled, having enough of being talked over and becoming desperate. Her eyes were wide as she pointed toward Lea.

“She’s where she belongs and you know it” Abraxas snapped and got up, his face now twisting into a scowl. “The only danger to the family is a family divided and you and your father are the cause of that. If you can’t follow…”

“You expected me to follow orders involving kissing up to her and that filthy half blood!” Sarissa got up and slammed her hands down on the table. It didn’t move inch from what Lea assumed to be a strong sticking charm. “I’m better than any Dumbledore! But I’m glad I didn’t marry that ugly git!”

It started as a strangled noise in Severus’s throat as Sarissa pointed to him only to lead to a chuckle and then finally a loud belly shaking laugh, that surprised them all. 

“What are you doing? Why are you laughing?” Sarissa began to demand but that only made Severus laugh louder. 

Sarissa started to turn red with anger only for Severus to lean on Lea’s shoulder to compose himself.

“After chasing away three assistants and getting married to another woman, you won’t let this go,” Severus said with a small chuckle, wiping his eyes. Sarissa’s eyes narrowed but he continued. “You lost long before you started. No amount of money would make you worth marrying, I told your father and Lucius that... _ even with what they offered me. _ ”

“A bit cruel, Severus. But yes it was enough for a large home and land to go with it. With leftover spending money” Lucius interjected, the mischievous glint in his eye said he found Severus’s words more amusing than anything. “I remember that chat we had before the wedding, what was it...ah yes...I may have knocked her up but I had my eye on her after that night. I just needed to wait until I could seduce her without suspicion.”

Lea’s cheeks flushed immediately and Severus’s lips spread into a victorious smirk. 

“Silas only sped up my plans, Lea. You know that” Severus said in a half purr, watching her cheeks become redder. 

Sarissa’s eyes flashed dangerously and went to say what she suspected would hit her mark.“It’s no surprise that an ill mannered git like you would take a whore over a woman. She’s just like her whore of a grandmother that took it from the dark lord.”

_ Either she owned it and took control or have the Malfoy’s try to convince her later. _

Lea looked back unfazed at Sarissa as the rest of the table looked at her stunned. 

“Oh, I know” Lea said and Sarissa’s face dropped. “You think I wouldn’t know? I’m a parselmouth like my mother and my eyes turn red when I’m enraged. Not things that go unnoticed.”

Sarissa looked at Lea blankly, that’s when Lea saw the fear in Avery’s eyes.

“I’ll tell you what Sarissa, you get on your knees and kiss my feet as you beg for our forgiveness. Then I might forgive you after all the damage you’ve done” Lea said with a wicked grin and Sarissa’s face turned red again. “I take that as a no? Then I guess I will have to return the favour, after all you did try to destroy our reputations and livelihoods.”

“You think you can order me around, you bitch!” Sarissa screamed at her, Lea did not move. “Like shit I will kneel before you!”

Lea’s eyes turned red as she let the anger she had held back until now slowly seep out.

“My, you are rude. I had hoped to handle this out of the courts but I guess we have no choice now, do we Severus?” Lea said and turned to Severus, his lips twitching in amusement. Lea got up and Severus did so as well. “It was a lovely evening regardless of how it ended. I would stay but I have a case to build.” 

“Like hell you will win, you’ve just sealed your own fate. I’ll tell the whole Wizengamort who you really are!” Sarissa roared and Lea let out a bone chilling laugh.

“Go on then, I look forward to it,” Lea answered, slowly making her way to the fireplace with Severus.

“Good luck with that Sarissa, I’ll be contacting the courts. You’ll be dealing with your defence on your own” Avery said and Sarissa slowly turned as pale as a sheet.

“Agreed. You made it clear that you value your pride over the family’s needs” Abraxas added and Lucius nodded in agreement. 

“I’m family, Cissy. Please...I…” Sarrissa then pleaded with Narcissa.

“If that’s the case then get on your knees and beg for their forgiveness” Narcissa said coldly and Sarissa’s eyes widened. 

Lea and Severus went to get the floo powder to leave when Sarissa screamed again. “You planned this! You turned my…”

“Honestly? No. You're just easy to manipulate. I take a jab at your pride and you escalate things on your own” Lea interrupted her, turning to face her. “I merely used the situation to show you how powerless you truly are. Now are you going to kneel or am I going to have to take the action I should have taken when you first spread that slander.”

Sarissa froze for a moment before looking behind her and noticing that her family’s stance had not changed. 

All the colour finally left her as she finally nodded. Sarissa slowly walked over to Lea and got on her knees to kiss each foot in turn. 

Sarissa looked up at them while struggling to hold back her tears as she said “I apologise to you both for my actions, I will rectify them to the best of my ability and beg for your forgiveness.” 

“What do you think, Lea?” Severus asked her, arching his brow at her expectantly _.  _

“You're forgiven as long as you act on your words today” Lea said and Sarissa got up, there was a moment when their eyes met. 

Lea expected anger but all she saw was fear and pain. 

She felt her stomach twist a little but she refused to feel guilty for someone so keen to destroy her and husband not too long ago. 

“I only hope that tonight and past events haven’t painted such a poor picture of our family that you don’t feel like returning” Narcissa said and Lea gave her a tired smile.

“No, it hasn’t and I hope that by the time I can return Sarissa has matured under the right guidance to enjoy a cup of tea with us. If that isn’t too presumptuous?” Lea asked and Narcissa gave her a knowing smile.

“No, it isn’t. It is something I look forward to as well” Narcissa said and Sarissa nodded weakly as if all the fight had left her. 

“Thank you again, but we must be going,” Severus said quickly as he led her to the fireplace.

The living room came into view and they immediately noticed the new addition of two black armchairs facing each other near the fireplace and the man sitting in the chair to the right of the sofa. 

“It went well, I hope?” Albus asked softly, sipping tea from their new fox tea set. 

“Before asking anymore, please wait. Silas is putting pressure on my bladder again,” Lea said before quickly moving to the bathroom. 

She gathered from the silence, Albus was asking Severus something under a silencing charm. 

_ How presumptuous that man was to just show up unannounced and granted they wanted more furniture for guests to sit on, he brought the armchairs without asking.  _

_ Not to mention using their tea set, granted he was in charge of Hogwarts but they deserved some privacy. _

She finished washing and drying her hands to see that Severus had taken the other chair. 

“You admitted who you are to the Malfoys?” Albus inquired but he knew the answer.

“They were going to tell me about grandfather regardless…” Lea began but he raised his hand to stop her and indicated for her to sit down on the sofa. 

“This is good. This gives us more power going forward and moves their attention to you, not Silas” Albus said, stroking his beard in deep thought. “This also means that the Malfoys will be more eager to take you under their wing.”

“Albus…” Severus warned him and Albus smiled in return. 

“I know, Severus. There will be no need for that. You know how best to deal with him” Albus said getting up and leaving his cup. “I hope you like the chairs, if not I will replace them.”

There was no goodbye as he left through the fireplace and Severus angrily waved his hand to the tea set to send it away. 

“What did he say to you while I was away?” Lea asked and Severus paused for a moment before turning to her. 

“Why did you do that?” he asked instead, obviously trying to distract her from the topic at hand.

“Why I admitted to…” Lea began but he shook his head.

“No, why did you suggest Sarissa spend time with you and Narcissa?” Severus asked, his brow furrowed.

“To keep her under Narcissa’s supervision and to be perfectly honest, so she will owe me for encouraging Malfoys to keep her close” Lea answered and Severus frowned.

“She won’t be thankful. She could turn this to her advantage” Severus stated, giving her a stern look.

“Then I will have to take action” Lea answered and he nodded in approval. “She needed to be shown what would happen if she went against me anyway.”

“I see, you were putting her in her place before she did something she couldn’t take back,” Severus said, resting his chin in his right hand. “Knowing her, she would have. If she fights back again she will play smarter.”

“No more chances” Lea said, he sighed and nodded. 

“Yes, no more chances” Severus said, getting up and helping her off the sofa. “Now for bed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I learned a lot recently that apparently most new tea sets are now made abroad now and certain British manufactured sets are well sought after partly for this reason. 
> 
> Yes...I know but I couldn’t resist using Kettleburn’s last name for this...to be honest I could but I didn’t...
> 
> I may also have recently been reading a comic that involves a lot of tea...I’m quite interested now on trying different types of tea now because of it. 
> 
> There are so many more rules and parts to formal dinner etiquette than I didn’t know of, to be honest. At least I know a lot more now. 
> 
> This chapter went through several rewrites and I just had to accept that it was going to be busy regardless of what I do and I might need to re-establish some things later when they appear again.
> 
> I will also say this I do intend to introduce Brutus properly at some point...but it most likely won't be until another part.


	19. New beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new year brings a new beginning...

Lea couldn’t remember what time it was when she woke up for another trip to the bathroom but she did know Severus had left. He was not in bed or in the living room and all the homework had been graded so far. 

If it wasn’t the fact she was certain he was hiding something she would have checked the classroom or workshop. 

He wasn't meant to be patrolling for a while on the insistence of the other staff. 

It wasn’t until she awoke again to get up and ready for breakfast that she saw him in white buttoned shirt and black trousers in the right armchair. He was reading the Daily Prophet with a mug of tea on the coffee table and a plate of buttered toast. 

She sat down on the armchair opposite him, he put down the newspaper and she got a good view of his chest as he left the top few buttons of his shirt unbuttoned. 

There were dark rings around his eyes as if he never slept at all. 

“I visited my mother this morning,” he said, taking a bite of his toast. “Father was awake and in a bad mood. He said a few things I won’t repeat but I needed to talk to my mother before Silas arrives.”

She nodded and waited for him to continue. 

“Talking about her last night, jogged my memory that she spent Christmas day with him and I wanted to check on her” Severus said, his eyes seemed distant as he talked. “Father, being the git he is demanded to meet you and eventually Silas.”

“Severus…” Lea began, wanting to comfort him. 

“Don’t. You're both safe at Hogwarts with Albus here, that’s all I need” Severus said, getting up and planted a peck on her lips. “How about we enjoy breakfast and go through our plan going forward?”

She smiled and went to kiss him again but he got there first, his hands wrapped around her and he moved her gently until she was on top of him in his armchair. 

Her left hand brushed against the hair on his chest as he lifted up her nightgown, his hands went to brush against her bare rump. 

“No underwear, Lea?” Severus said in a half growl before moving his right hand to slide across her wet folds causing her to whimper. 

“You keep hiding my underwear, Severus...don’t play innocent” Lea pretended to argue as he continued to rub her slit up and down, causing her breathing to pick up. 

“Move” he instructed suddenly and she moved off him to her confusion. He got up and unbuckled his belt then unzipped his trousers before letting them fall onto the floor, making his bulge more noticeable through his white underwear. 

He then walked all the way to the bedroom and she followed. 

His shirt and underwear was now on the floor as he made his way onto the bed. He laid back on the bed and started to stroke himself with the biggest smirk on his face.

“Take off the nightgown” he instructed and her green nightgown fell to the floor.

“Do you remember what you said on our wedding night about what the evidence of my seed growing inside you would do to me?” Severus asked as his cock glistened from his precum as he spread it about with his right hand. 

She nodded and moved slowly to the bed. 

“The past few months have been better than any fantasy I have rubbed myself to and seeing you now heavy with my child makes me want you even more” he said in a deep husky voice as she sat down on the bed. 

“What fantasies do you have, husband?” Lea asked, biting her lip as she looked wantonly towards him.

She moved into position to hover above his cock and took hold of him before taking in him inside her almost at once.

He let out a loud guttural groan and moved his hands to her arse to hold her in place.

“Move for me and…” Severus said only to groan again as she began to move. “Fuck...Yes...more.”

Lea continued to move and keep eye contact with him as he continued to moan in gratitude. 

She started to quake and he took hold of her arse again to help her move at a quicker pace until she cried out, dragging him with her. 

He helped her lay next to him on her side before cleaning them up instantly with a wave of his hand. 

“That was one of them...and that sensitivity of yours is doing wonders” he managed to say after a while, he then turned on his side to face her. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply. “Breakfast in bed?”

She nodded and he kissed her again before getting up to slip quickly into some black robes while she made sure to watch him get dressed. 

“Enjoying the show?” he asked, stopping to look back at her with an arched brow.

“Don’t you?” she said with a knowing grin.

“There’s nothing I'd rather do” he said and with that he left the room.

He came back with a breakfast tray and sat with her, reading the paper. She finished her food and he sent it to the kitchen with a wave.

“I’m planning to have a lazy day, wanna join me?” Severus said over the paper and she hummed in approval. There was a pause and he put his paper down, his brow furrowed. “I didn’t want to answer last night but you should know that Albus wants you to become more involved than you already are.”

“Is that why you left last night?” Lea asked, he sighed and nodded.

“I talked with Lucius and Avery who were more understanding than Albus that you will be in no state for anything of the sort for a long time. In fact they were more bothered about whether or not you would put  _ foolish notions _ in Silas’s head” Severus explained, adding venom onto their comment about her influence towards their son. “Lucius is extremely pleased with last night's performance and Narcissa even more so. As Narcissa knew it was for the best but she does care for Sarissa and hates Brutus with a passion.”

“I see, I don’t honestly know much about Sarissa or who her mother is…” Lea said and Severus frowned.

“If you did know before, you might have been more eager to help her but what she needs is to have reality to hit her square in the face and grow from it. That however as I suspect will never truly happen” Severus said, before shaking his head. “Let Narcissa deal with her.”

“I was planning to and no, after what she did to you and then us. I know better than to encourage her to backstab us” Lea said and he planted a kiss on her lips.

“Good. I also don’t need to tell you that following Albus on this matter will do you no good, if he had his way you would be at risk of being seen as a potential threat by the dark lord” Severus said, keeping her gaze. Lea paled a little and he nodded. “I will protect our family, Lea. I will not have him risking it with one of his schemes when there's a better way.”

He brought his lips to hers and embraced her.

Breakfast was quiet and the day consisted of naps mixed in with light reading. 

They finished off the day with a small walk about the castle in their winter clothes and to enjoy how empty the castle was at this time, they bumped into Filius on patrol who was more than pleased for the interruption.

The days flew by, Severus had restocked their medicine cabinet, sorted the mail and done multiple checks they had everything.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The room lit up suddenly and it took some time for her to adjust to the light. Severus got out of the bed and saw her trying to hide under the sheets. 

“I’m fine,” Lea said, pulling the sheets closer. “Just tired and grumpy.”

“It’s six in the morning, Poppy will be up,” Severus said and she shook her head.

“It’s just cramps and Silas moving about last night” Lea insisted and went to finally sit up only to wince a little. “Actually Severus, do we have any more pillows? My back is sore.”

She rubbed her back and he nodded. “When did the cramps start?”

“Early morning” Lea said with a slight yawn as she reluctantly got up. 

She clicked her fingers, removing her nightgown and knickers instantly. She yawned again and went to the chest of drawers to choose her clothes for the day when Severus handed her one of his very long grey nightshirts and a green pair of knickers.

“Call it hunch or whatever you like but please humor me” Severus said as he continued dressing himself. 

She sighed but overall reluctantly sat down to get dressed in the clothes given to her. 

“I’ll bring as many pillows as you want and get you a pain potion before we have breakfast” Severus told her as she waddled over to the living room to relax on the sofa. 

But it didn’t matter how many pillows she had she couldn’t get comfortable and the food didn’t do much to distract her. 

She tried relaxing while reading a book but her back was annoying her even with the potion, so she walked the length of the room and felt Severus’s eyes watching her at every turn. 

She tried sitting again and flipping through the shop catalogues for items they could need but that only frustrated her more. 

Lunch was quick, a few sandwiches to keep her going and some fruit. 

More pacing and failed attempts to read. 

Then the pain potion wore off and all colour was drained from her. She held onto the top of the sofa in pain as her other hand rested on her stomach. 

She barely registered what Severus was doing until he was at her side until the contraction wore off. 

He led her to the sofa and rushed to the fireplace to make a floo call. He didn’t need to be told what was happening, he knew. 

Poppy appeared just as another hit and Lea clutched onto the grey nightshirt until it passed. 

“I’m here, I just need to check how far dilated you are, dear. It’ll only take a moment” Poppy said, giving her a reassuring smile.

Lea looked away for a moment until she was done. 

“You're doing well, just hold on for a few hours and let Severus know when you feel like pushing. I will be back later to check how you are doing” Poppy said softly, giving her another smile. 

“What can I do? I have potions ready...” Severus began to ask and Poppy gave him a knowing smile.

“Save them for the delivery, she will be needing them. For now take care of her and let me know if anything changes” Poppy told him and then headed through the fireplace to leave. 

Lea was close to tears and this wasn’t even the delivery, she wanted to apologise to her mother profusely and take back all those demands she made when she was a scrawny little kid for a younger sibling to play with. 

“Sev…” Lea cried out and Severus rushed to sit with her, he held her and rubbed her shoulders to try to comfort her.

Hours past and it continued, she was nearing her wits end. She had found herself in bed with Severus sitting with her trying to soothe her.

She became quieter and quieter as it continued.

“Get Poppy” she managed to say and he kissed her forehead, before whipping out his wand to send a spectral deer racing up and out the room. 

Lea was hit again with another contraction and she gripped the sheets until her knuckles turned white. 

Severus moved to summon a chair next to the bed to sit and hold her hand while giving Poppy more room to work. 

There was a roar of flames and a rush of footsteps as Poppy entered the bedroom. Lea had stretched her legs out and moved the nightshirt out of the way.

Severus handed Lea a pain potion, which she just managed to down before the next wave hit her.

Poppy reached her and got into position. “I see him, you're doing so well. Right, I need you to push with the next one.”

The potion wasn’t doing much but she was thankful for it, she didn’t know how much she could cope with at this rate. 

She screamed at the top of her lungs and gripped onto Severus's hand like a vice. Her voice continued to fill the room along with Poppy’s reassurances. 

Then it was over and another cry filled the room, Lea’s eyes focused on the small babe with a small tuft of black hair on his head. 

Poppy had summoned a warm towel and cleaned him off before nodding for Severus to come off to cut the cord under her instructions. 

A sample of blood from the cord, a measurement and weighing and Lea was holding him. 

Her son. Severus’s son. Their son.

Tears fell down her cheeks as she smiled down at him, his eyes now opening. 

Dark obsidian eyes like his fathers. 

“It was Silas Edward Snape, yes?” Poppy asked and both Lea and Severus nodded. “He’s as punctual as you, Severus, 12 am exactly.”

Severus smiled down at Silas who was silently looking up at them and kissed Lea’s forehead.

“They say New Year babies are lucky for life” Poppy added and both parents blinked in surprise. “Yesterday was New Years Eve.”

* * *

  
  


Severus watched Silas suckle, the smile hadn't left Severus’s lips for one second since Silas’s birth. 

Silas removed himself from her nipple and seemed to not need burping but they will see. He seemed more sleepy than anything but not drowsy enough for the crib.

She started humming softly to try and soothe him, she continued humming until he was drowsy enough for the crib. 

When he was fast asleep the modified silencing charm went up.

She wanted him to get used to the crib and not wake up surprised about a strange new place, wondering where she was and how he got there.

Lea yawned and went to lay down in the bed, she turned to see the mischievous glint in Severus’s eyes. “You can go brag now.”

The second she said it he met her lips with his and then rushed out of the room to the fireplace to make a few calls. 

Poppy had shown her what she needed to know and sorted the paperwork before leaving them. 

They had decided on having two day’s worth of peace between the three of them before telling everyone else. Silas had been more focused on eating and sleeping as he processed the world outside her womby prison. 

The naps in between had barely been enough but they would have to get used to it. He wouldn’t sleep for long periods of time for a good while yet and needed all of their attention. 

Severus’s potions had made things far easier and she was almost healed already but needed rest more than anything. 

Her eyes closed only to open again two hours later to Silas’s fussing, she got up and could smell he needed changing. 

She used a cool baby wipe to gently wipe across his belly and waited before changing him. She heard this trick helped prevent being peed on, she didn’t do it all the time but her clothes were thankful for it. 

She cleaned herself up with a wave of her wand and sent the diaper away in a similar fashion before picking him up. 

He seemed interested in her chest so she sat down and offered him her breast. He latched on and she waited, then burped him.

She walked into the living room with him to see Severus, Avery and Lucius drinking then immediately turned round to go back into the bedroom.

“Lea, I wanted to show…” Severus began but before he could finish she sighed and slowly walked to her armchair to sit down.

“The moment he gets fussy he goes to bed and everyone needs clean hands” Lea instructed him and Severus just nodded under her intense gaze. “Good.”

“I would ask to hold him but I’m worried your Mrs’s might hex my hand off if I do” Avery said, watching Lea cautiously as she talked to Silas.

“Reminds me how Narcissa was with Draco” Lucius reminisced, looking at Silas's curious face looking up at his mother as he wondered what was going on. “He has the Prince family eyes and your hair Severus, you must be proud.” 

“Obviously” Severus said, looking towards Lea and Silas. His lips twitching at the sight only to stop as he noticed Lucius watching him with a knowing look. 

There was a cry and Lea got up with Silas to take him back to the bedroom.

As soon as he was back in his crib snoozing, Severus entered and sat on the bed. 

“They’re gone. He’s going to be asleep for a while, do you think we can slowly invite the rest?” Severus suggested and she nodded. 

Aurora was first out of the gate and was out of the fireplace with premade ready meals in the bags she brought, followed by Albert with fresh food for the chilling cabinet and supplies for them.

“He has his father’s hair and...his eyes?” Aurora inquired as soon as she entered the bedroom after Severus and Albert went off to pack everything away. 

“His father's eyes” Lea answered as she watched Silas sleeping in his blue baby clothes that Eileen knitted. 

Aurora smiled and kissed her forehead. “You know Albus has been shooing away reporters already and they did a small article about Silas. Nothing bad, just the second baby born at Hogwarts in a hundred years since you took the title of the first.”

There was a moment of silence before Aurora looked to the floor uncomfortably.

“I never talked much about your birth, have I?” Aurora said in a strained voice, Lea shook her head. “The peace Albus gave us was the only gift I could have wished for. One photo and we were left in a room in Hogwarts to spend the next two weeks getting to know you with no knowledge of what was happening in the world.”

Aurora pulled her into a tight hug and Lea could see she was holding back tears,  _ it felt like she was hiding something but she wouldn’t press the matter for the moment. _

“Well, I already love him. Just let us know if you need any help or someone to babysit” 

They looked up in surprise and saw Albert looking down at the crib with a warm smile on his face as his eyes twinkled. 

“We best leave you for now to enjoy the rest of his sleep, we assume you have more visitors lined up for today” Aurora said, releasing Lea. “I will be back to help with cooking and anything else I can think of when I next visit.”

With that they were gone and Silas later awoke asking to be fed then changed.

“Who's next?” Lea asked and Severus paused for thought. 

“The rest can wait” he answered as he smiled down at the now sleeping Silas. 

“Still taking everything in?” Lea asked with a knowing smile. “I can hardly believe he is here, now. With us.”

“I can’t believe you pushed him out”

“I’m just glad I didn’t break your hand”

“Me too, but it would have been fixed by Poppy easily and I could tease you about it later” he answered with a sly grin, pulling her onto his lap. “I can’t wait until the time I can show you how  _ thankful I am. _ ”

“I’m sure you will,” Lea answered, biting her lip in anticipation but the moment was short lived as they felt someone asking for entry.

Severus went to kiss her again but their potential visitor was insistent. He groaned and she moved off him so he could check who it was.

“Mother, we weren't going to suggest you visit until tomorrow,” Severus said.

“Why’s that Severus? You visited me days ago and wanted to talk and here I am” Eileen asked and Lea popped her head out of the bedroom to smile at her, then nodded to the bedroom. 

Lea then sat down on the bed as Eileen looked puzzled for a moment as she entered until she saw where Lea was looking.

“The charm is up so he can’t hear us but we can hear him” Lea said as she noticed Eileen moving quietly to look over the crib. “He was born at 12am, New Year’s Day.”

“And what better way to the New Year. When did he go to sleep?” Eileen said with the biggest grin on her face as her eyes began to water. 

“Not too long ago, so he will be sleeping for a while until he needs something” Severus answered, his lips twitching at the sight of his mother smiling down at his son. 

“As newborns do. He’s even wearing the clothes I made him” Eileen said, still grinning ear to ear. “He reminds me of you when you were born, though he looks quite like his mother with your hair.”

Severus gave her a small smile before adding “and our eyes.”

Eileen's smile widened. “Would it be alright if I stay a while? I can cook, teach you a few things and talk like you wanted.”

Lea smiled towards Severus and he nodded towards Eileen. “Yes, we would love to have you. Mother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was doing research for this chapter and I already had massive respect for those who go through childbirth but now...I’m still processing how long it actually takes and I didn’t think my respect could get any higher but it did.
> 
> I apologise for any mistakes and I am willing to hear about them. 
> 
> Thank you all for support so far, I love all the kudos, comments, bookmarks and subscriptions.
> 
> I also want to thank the casual readers and those rereading parts. 
> 
> I hope you are all doing well during this trying time.


	20. Down at the Quidditch pitch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Severus has signed up as referee even with the lack of sleep he and Lea have been getting...

He took control of the kiss and slipped his tongue inside her mouth, surprising her enough that he pushed her down onto the bed. His hands found themselves under her blue nightgown to pull down her matching knickers.

“Silas…”

“He’s just gone to sleep and won’t hear us, let alone know what we are doing” he reassured her as he nipped her neck, she heard a clunk and saw a vial of blue liquid with purple swirls swirling around it. “Weekly birth control, it’s still effective taken just before sex as it’s first dose than muggle alternatives which require alot more time and doses to be effective.”

She downed the vile vial and noticed his robes were up and his underwear down as he opened a small red packet. 

“Potions can fail as you very well know so I looked into more measures to help prevent Silas having a younger sibling too early,” Severus explained as he examined the weird almost see-through object. He motioned her to look at him and showed her what he was doing. “The teat or tent is meant to be pointing up. Make sure to leave some space at the tip and get the air out”

He rolled it onto his fully erect dick and he checked and smoothed out any air bubbles. 

“Precum contains sperm, pulling out would be extremely ineffective so a muggle condom will have to do with some non oil based lube” Severus explained and Lea’s cheeks flushed as he applied lube onto the condom. “Especially with how potent I seem to be.”

He then went back to kissing her and rubbed his finger between her folds to make sure she was ready before inserting himself.

He moved her legs around him and started to rock into her gently, his pace slowly increasing. 

Her hand reached out to her sensitive nub and started to make motions as his breathing began more erratic but he held on.

She finally cried out and her body shook giving the signal for him to release himself. 

He kissed her lips and nodded for her to look down as he held the base of the condom as he pulled out before his dick could become soft. 

“That’s what I’ve been unleashing inside you...no wonder…” Severus said under his breath as he carefully unrolled and tied up the condom to stop the huge load he had unleashed from leaking out. 

He vanished the condom and then waved them clean. 

“You should shower after me, you're leaking again” Severus informed her and the colour of her cheeks flared up to a bright red in shame as she instinctively covered her chest with her arms.

He paled a little at her reaction but then his eyes shone with determination.

He waved his hand again and her nightgown vanished to her surprise, he used her momentary shock as an opportunity to move her arms away to get to her breasts. 

“Which breast will you be using next?” he asked and she was too shocked to answer. “I’ll take the left then.” 

He went to her left breast to plant his lips onto her nipple.

She took a sharp intake of breath as he began to suckle, _it felt good_ and her checks stayed red as he continued. 

He finished and made sure to look into her eyes before wiping his mouth of milk with his index finger and sucking the rest of her milk off his finger.

“I see why he loves this so much. It’s an acquired taste but nothing to be ashamed off” he stated before planting a kiss on her lips. He saw that the blush hadn't faded from her face and his eyes widened in shock. “Lea...If I…”

“No...it was a good surprise” Lea managed to say as the blush slowly faded. “If I disliked something, I would tell you.”

“Thank Merlin,” Severus said under his breath. 

“How was work?” Lea asked, wanting to distract him from her for a moment and he frowned. “That bad?”

“I’ve signed up to referee Potter’s next match” Severus answered and Lea’s eyes became a deep crimson.

“Have you seen the state you are in! And you want to fly! The twins will be there! You know damn well what they are like!” Lea snapped, her eyes piercing through him. She stopped for a moment and almost clenched her hands but managed to bring her voice down to a point where she wasn’t shouting. She knew Silas couldn’t hear them but she didn’t want him to wake up to them arguing. “I know you need to protect Potter but there are better ways to do it and you won’t be able to do so from a hospital wing...if you were in peak condition, maybe. Think about this, Severus. Albus will be there. 

“Lea, I know what I'm doing! If I’m in the air I can be close enough to protect him!” Severus snapped back, his eyes narrowing at her.

“If you can get _that close._ I have no doubt the younger Weasley and the twins would interfere” Lea argued back, Severus stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. “There's more facts to consider this time round but we do have more than Albus in our court.”

“And that would be?” Severus asked, his tone still had a sharp edge to it.

“I’m not pregnant with Silas anymore and he won’t be able to try the same trick after what you have taught me” Lea answered, he went to argue but stopped himself. 

“I guess we could leave him for an hour or two with your parents, they have been insisting we go outside the dungeons” Severus answered, he sighed and laid back down on the bed.

“I don’t want to leave him so early either but he can bottle feed now and I know he will be safe with them. It’s you who I worry about” Lea said and there was a moment of pause.

“It’s too late to drop out as a referee now, I’ve already been approved but promise me that you will sit with Albus for the match?” Severus asked and Lea’s eyes shone mischievously.

“Or he could happen to sit with me?” Lea suggested and Severus snorted.

“You want to bait Quirrell to sit with you? And Albus to just show up...I don’t like it but it’s best we got for now” Severus said in a tired voice and then patted the space next to him.

She lay beside him and he pulled her close. 

“At least we know the charm I put on the crib is thankfully holding” Severus said, nodding to the crib and they looked at the still sleeping Silas. “5 weeks now…and I feel like my body is made of lead and we are bloody exhausted.”

Lea went white as a sheet as she continued looking at Silas, thankful he was still asleep.

“It’s alright...I know you were scared but we are going to have arguments and this one is _far healthier_ than any my parents had” Severus reassured her, brushing his left hand through her hair to further soothe her. “With both of us this tired it’s a wonder why we didn’t snap at each other earlier.”

“Please be careful out there,” Lea said in an almost quiet voice and he pulled her closer to him.

“I’ll try,” he said softly, kissing her head.

“And Severus...I...no, forget it” Lea began but shook the thought away.

“No, it’s alright. Don’t ever feel like you need to hide anything from me” he said, moving to look into her eyes directly.

“I’m fed up with the other houses claiming we took the cup unfairly, I want them to accept we won this time” Lea answered hesitantly and Severus’s brow furrowed with what she said next. “Fair and square.”

He didn’t answer her and decided to just take her head between his hands to kiss her again. 

  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


“I’ll be careful, just make sure you do the same and keep an eye out for Quirrell” Severus whispered in her ear before capturing her lips briefly before going to wait for the teams on the field.

Lea made her way to the stands, trying to find Quirrell to lure him to sit with her. 

“Lea! Come here dear! It’s been some time since we last saw you!” Albus exclaimed happily from behind her, hooking her arm and leading her up the stairs before she could object. He then whispered in her ear, no doubt covering their voices with the muffliato charm. “I heard of your plan but decided this would be better.”

She sighed and he then chuckled, _of course he would interfere._

“You forget that you are my niece and it is my duty to protect you” Albus then said in a stern tone.

“Yes, uncle” Lea relented but she would keep an eye out for Quirrell regardless.

“How is Silas?” Albus asked.

“Having a nap, father and mother are happy that we are taking a break” Lea answered and Albus nodded, giving her a knowing smile. 

“Good. It is about time you made an appearance, everyone had started to get worried” Albus said as they sat down. “Who knows what people would begin to say if you took any longer.”

_So rumors had started about what Severus had done to her then, not surprising with how unpopular Severus was with students and now with the staff._

“Mrs Snape!” a voice of a female student called out and they turned to see Clearwater making her way up to them. 

“It’s good to see you, Clearwater,” Lea answered with a warm smile.

“And you Mrs! Before I ask anything else would it be okay for me and Neville to sit with you?” Clearwater asked and Lea happily nodded. “ I’ll go get him, thank you.”

She rushed off and Albus turned to Lea. “Clearwater was assigned as Neville’s potions tutor.”

“Good to hear, she’s a remarkable student. Even Severus speaks highly of her work” Lea said and Albus eyes twinkled happily. 

“This reminds me when I started teaching, it filled me with joy when my students felt willing to come to me with their questions” Albus reminisced, wiping his eyes as a happy tear fell from each. “Then there's the pride I feel at seeing you having the same joy I felt then and the fact you’ve already started molding young minds for the better.”

Before she could answer she noticed Quirrell sitting in front of them, _apparently even Albus couldn’t keep him away._

His back was to her but she still felt uneasy, _she hated that turban._ She had spent several meals getting hit by the smell of it from across the staff table almost putting her off her food while she was pregnant. 

Longbottom and Clearwater appeared from the stairs then went to sit with her. Lea noticed Granger sneaking in behind them, trying not to be seen. 

“Granger? I assume you wish to sit with us. No need to hide back there and be shy, you're more than welcome” Lea exclaimed in a loud and happy voice, like Albus would when he wanted to draw as much attention to himself as possible.

Granger looked like a startled cat but noticed everyone watching them now and resigned herself to sitting next to Albus after he patted the space next him. 

_She might as well drop the formalities for the game at least, she sounded to prim and proper for her liking._

“I hear your tutoring Neville in potions, Penelope?” Lea began and the girl nodded enthusiastically. “That’s good to hear, I also hear you have already made a marked improvement in potions already Neville.”

“I have?” Neville asked, blinking in surprise.

“Yes, Severus was quite pleased that he doesn’t have to be as concerned about you injuring yourself and said your grades in potions are steadily improving” Lea stated and Neville's brow furrowed in disbelief. 

“He did?” he asked in confusion.

“Yes and until I had to stop for Silas’s sake, I was helping him with marking” Lea explained and Neville blinked for a second before smiling back at her. 

“You were marking our work?” Hermione asked and Lea nodded. “Why do you and Snape mark me lower than the other professors?”

“Because you keep going over the set amount of parchment for your work by spades ” Lea began to explain, she noticed Hermione shift uncomfortably and narrow her eyes. “We are not marking you down out of spite and we do tell you what we want improved in the notes we give.”

“So don’t go over the amount of parchment set?” Neville asked inquisitively.

“We’ll allow a third more than the size of parchment set, no more” Lea answered and Neville looked as if he was eager to write it down only for Penelope to give him some parchment along with her quill. 

“I’ll never fit it all that in!” Hermione cried out, glaring at Lea.

“Then you need an example. I could show you my old work and if you are willing, Penelope…” Lea suggested only for Penelope to nod happily.

“Yes, if it will help and could Neville also see as well?” Penelope asked.

“Of course, I’ll have Severus inform you when” Lea answered and Hermione looked towards her accusingly. “We’ll need to choose an afternoon when Severus is free.”

“Oh, Silas, how is he?” Penelope asked and Lea instantly pulled out a photo from her robes. 

Silas was in Lea’s arms and Severus was right next to her smiling. 

“He’s so cute!” Penelope exclaimed happily and Lea thanked her before putting the photo away. 

Neville nodded in agreement and Hermione’s brow just raised in shock, Lea suspected it was due to the fact that Severus didn’t smile around his students if he could avoid it. 

The players entered the field and drew their attention away but Lea caught the beaming smile on Albus’s lips as she turned away from him.

They were off and almost as soon as they started George Weasley as she feared whacked a bludger with his club at Severus, which he narrowly avoided.

Severus lost course for a few moments and Lea’s eyes turned red as in Severus’s current state he could have broken an arm if he had moved a second later. 

Lea saw the twins high fiving each other and Severus awarded Hufflepuff a penalty for the bludger. 

“So you and the headmaster are related?” Hermione began in a leading manner obviously trying to distract her but Lea did not look away from the match as she had another concern.

“Yes, he’s my great uncle but wait until the end of the match. I’m concentrating on my fool of a husband at the moment” Lea answered while watching Severus move in the air to get a better view of the teams only for the twins to zoom past him on purpose. 

Surprisingly they were not punished as Severus would have done normally as soon he regained control over his broom. 

As soon as he saw that Hufflepuff accidentally had more than one chaser in the scoring area he gave them a foul to everyone’s surprise. 

Lea doubted they were planning on stooging but the action didn’t go unnoticed. 

Then Harry whizzed straight passed Severus at great speed causing him to move quickly out of the way. 

Harry had missed him barely and managed to catch the snitch, Lea got up suddenly then started to make her way down the stairs quickly as soon as she saw this. 

She reached the pitch and Severus looked like he was struggling not to throw up as the other players congratulated Harry. 

She reached him and handed him the grey nausea potion and he downed it instantly, taking a few moments to get his breath back. 

“Sit down for a few moments and…” Lea began to insist but he chose to wrap his arms around her waist to pull her into a brief kiss and then use her as support. 

They heard gagging noises behind them and Severus’s response was to immediately kiss her again.

“Good work out there” Lea congratulated Severus and he just continued to hold onto her a while longer for support but she knew he had heard her. 

“Granger is talking to Albus” Severus whispered in her ear as she continued supporting him on her shoulders as they went to leave the pitch. 

He was right, the girl was chatting with him as the praises continued to be sung about the young Gryffindor seeker and Lea doubted it was about the twelve uses of dragon blood. 

“Nothing good I suspect, let's just go to our quarters tonight. I’ll reward you for your efforts later when Silas is asleep” Lea suggested and his lips twitched. 

“I’ll just need to make one trip during dinner and I’ll be all yours” Severus said and Lea planted a kiss on his cheek.

Lea then locked eyes with twins who were making gagging noises again. “Got something you want to say in detention, you two?”

“But you're not teaching?” George said in surprise.

“But I am and don’t you worry my wife will be back soon enough to help me, once Silas is sleeping more” Severus replied and George paled a little, assumedly at the mention that Severus had a child. 

That’s when she noticed Albus walking towards them. “Ah, Lea, a word if you please.” 

“I will see you at home” Severus said as he released her. 

He was disappointed but not for long as she brought him into another quick kiss.

She ignored the disgusted noises as she walked up to talk with Albus and noticed Neville and Penelope with them. 

Albus took her by the arm and started leading her away. “I was thinking that since it will be a while before you can join us again, that you would have dinner with us before making good on your words to show these three what you promised.”

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  


Albus had abandoned them yet again but she suspected it was to visit Silas and her parents to inform them about the change of plan.

“It’s good to see you finally left the dungeon, Lea” Minerva said with a smile, before she could ask, Lea brought out the photograph. “He’s quite a handsome boy with his father’s mischievous eyes too.”

“Well he’s showing a bit of red in them now, so me and Severus are assuming his final eye colour will be closer to a red obsidian or a mix” Lea added and Minerva nodded. “But we should know around three years old. His hair will take longer.”

“Children do take a while to grow, don’t they?” Minerva said, her smile not fading. “Eyes, hair and their face take time to fill out. My nephews and nieces were the same.”

“They do take a while sprouting up” Filius added only for Pomona to almost snort her drink. Filus just wiggled his eyebrows cheekly at her only for Pomona to hide a chuckle behind her hands. “Putting that aside, Silas is due for his 2 month appointment soon. Don’t feel that you have to hide him away in the dungeons unless you feel the need to, he’s more welcome to join us after he’s reasonably protected from the illnesses the students spread naturally.”

“And it’s best you introduce him before exams and the end of the year else the students will be distracted when he does show up” Minerva added and Lea nodded. “What is Severus doing at the moment? Dinner is about to start.”

“Quirrell too. Though he does seem sickly of late, he must be in his chambers” Filius added, his brow furrowed in thought. 

“Severus said he needed to make a trip somewhere as for Quirrell, he was at the game last I saw him” Lea answered and Filius nodded to himself.

“He has been acting odd since he returned from his sabbatical, I remember him as an extremely shy boy with strong ambitions but they easily fell through” Filius said as the plates filled with food. “No, I don’t like how he has been acting so far...he has been asking about you and your family a lot. It’s been quite disquieting...has Severus acted jealous towards you of late?”

“No, he’s insistent I remain independent as possible and still work towards my career even after having Silas. He trusts me extensively…” Lea began to answer only for Filius to arch a brow at this.

“No odd questions about your family from Quirinus?” Filius asked, Lea noticed his eyes were looking towards her as if trying to catch something in his talons to tear apart. 

Pomona and Minerva were watching her closely as well. 

_Filius was an exceedingly smart man and he could easily pull out the lies from facts especially if he taught the person in question for seven years._

_Her occlumency training with Severus could only do so much at this stage._

_And if he noticed Quirrell’s behavior was odd, it might be better to open her hand a little and hope he gave her more information to work with b_ _ut she wouldn't give anything away that was too dangerous, just a few truthful things to keep them busy._

“I have told Quirinus that I’m not comfortable talking about my maternal grandfather when he asked but other than that I haven’t talked to him that often” Lea answered and she instantly felt the air between her and the three professors become more muffled on mentioning her grandfather.

_Surprising since everyone else was meant to believe him to be a muggleborn._

“I had hoped my former student had learned better but I know _who you are referring too_. Pomona and Minerva too” Filus answered darkly, Lea felt the hairs on her back stood on end at the sudden change in her former almost always chipper professor. “And to be perfectly honest, part of me suspected when he started asking questions. Anything else we should know?”

“ _The trio._ Potter and his friends are trying to find out about Albus’s special project” Lea answered and Filius’s eyes narrowed further. 

“That’s why Severus is following them?” Filius asked and Lea nodded. “That’s a bit more understandable."

There was a silent look between the group before Filius continued. 

“We understand why Albus stays quiet but sometimes it’s best we know. Hogwarts is our home and it’s our job to protect it” Filus finally said before silently and wandlessly undoing the magic covering their voices from everyone else at the table. 

Back came the cheerful Filius and he pointed to a plate of pies. “Chicken, I remember you prefer them over the steak pies.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest I thought my last post was ages ago with the rewrites I kept making but here I am with new chapter.  
> I may be biased towards Flitwick since I'm a proud eagle myself and considering Quirrell is a Ravenclaw himself as well as Filius's former student, it made sense for him to notice something off.  
> Things are changing as is the ending a little for the fic but I'm having fun putting the pieces together.  
> I hope you are all well.
> 
> edit 01/03/21 - taken out last sentence to improve flow of chapter  
> edit 2 - sorry again, did a major edit towards the end after I realised that having that here would be a mistake.   
> There shouldn't be anymore edits on this chapter as I'm focusing on the next few at the moment.


End file.
